Intricacy
by Awriterandahalf
Summary: One moment, he was a young ice harvester, then he met a friend. The next minute, they were living with rock trolls, but now one is seeking more adventure. It's funny how one's life could change in a matter of minutes, but somehow things work out better when they are intricate...
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Hello and welcome to our rendition of "Frozen". We hope that you enjoy this chapter and the many installments to come. Without further ado...**

Chapter 1: Breaking the Ice

The sun rose over the horizon and shone through the tents of the ice harvesters, awaking them. These men don't smile nor talk for that matter. They grab their sleds and tools and venture out to the nearest ice collection site. Once at the heart of the ice mine, the harvesters form single file lines and then methodically collect their load of ice. Toward the end of a line, a father and son duo can be found, where the boy is handed a pair of kid-sized ice block tongs.

"Just stay out of trouble. Okay?" The father said.

The boy nodded. It was another day on the job for his father. Once again, the child is practicing the art of harvesting ice with his mini tools. The young boy admired his father and continuously worked hard to harvest a single block of ice to impress him. With an earnest look, the son took his tools and began the tedious process of cutting into the frozen heart into an ice cube. Because the lake is frozen solid, cutting the ice up into manageable cubes is very laborious. After four downward slices, the young harvester took a moment to wipe off the sweat from his brow and noticed another boy around his age also carving up the frozen ground. The boy had blonde hair and a baby reindeer as a companion.

"I haven't seen him before," the boy thought aloud.

Piqued by his own curiosity, he went over to the blonde boy. The reindeer approached the brown-haired boy first and licked his face. Surprised by the slobbery approach, naturally he responded by petting the friendly animal. The blonde kid soon approached the pair and pulled his companion off of the subdued boy.

"Sorry about him. He gets excited when he meets new people," the blonde boy said sheepishly.

The brunette boy shot him a intrigued smile, "It's okay. It's not everyday that I meet a friendly reindeer." He stuck out his hand, "I'm Caleb Robertson."

The boy took Caleb's extended hand and matched his smile, "I'm Kristoff, Kristoff Bjorgman. And this is Sven."

"It's nice to meet both of you, what are you on this side of the ice? Are you also an ice harvester?"

Kristoff nodded his head, "Yeah, I usually just watch the men from afar."

An eyebrow was raised, "So, your dad is not here with you?"

"Well, he works here, but it doesn't feel like he's actually here."

Caleb's green eyes flickered with sadness. But seeing that his new friend has his own harvesting tools, Caleb had an idea.

"Why don't you and Sven come over to my area? I started cutting my piece of ice. Maybe I could use some of your help."

Kristoff gave a toothy grin and even Sven was jumping for joy. Taking their response as a yes, the young harvester led his new companions over to his area, where his ice was still only a quarter cut. Both boys equipped themselves with their respective ice saws and continued the ice harvesting. The ice was cut into an almost perfect cube in a short period of time. Although the task is physically demanding, cutting the ice is perhaps the easiest step of ice harvesting. Picking up the ice from the freezing, flowing water and loading it onto your sled is another story. Kristoff decided to go first in attempting to pick up the ice. He jabbed the water with his ice tongs and the ice immediately slipped through its grip. Stepping up to the ice, Caleb readied his ice tongs and grabbed the piece of ice. As Caleb brought the ice out of the water, the weight of the block became too much and the ice cube was dropped back into the water.

Caleb groaned, "I was so close."

Not giving up any hope, the brown-haired boy readied his tongs again. Using the same technique in the last attempt, he successfully lifted the ice block out of water and the young boy began to tremble as he was losing his strength carrying the dense block until Kristoff used his tongs to aid in transporting the ice safely onto the sled.

"Thanks, Kristoff," Caleb said breathlessly.

The blonde boy patted the fatigued boy's shoulder and proceeded to latch the sled onto Sven, so they can deliver the ice. The boys collected their ice just in time as the older ice harvesters were also about to pack up to go to the next harvesting site. Caleb and Kristoff boarded their sled and Kristoff commanded Sven to follow after the men. With all the speed he could muster, Sven kept a good pace with the veteran ice harvesters. Feeling the fatigue taking over his body, Caleb opted to close his eyes and rest up. On the other hand, Kristoff stayed awake and followed the experienced harvesters.

—

When Caleb awoke, it was already dusk and he was still riding in the sled with Kristoff. Sven was still trotting away, but he looked around and there was no one in front of him to guide him. Luckily, their block of ice was still frozen solid.

"So… we might be lost," Kristoff admitted shamefully.

"What happened?" Caleb asked.

"Well, we were trotting along with the others just fine until a small avalanche was chasing after all of us. Of course, the reindeers got spooked and they all pulled us in different directions, and we ended up alone," Kristoff explained.

The brunette boy went wide-eyed, "Wow, and I was asleep the whole time?"

The blonde boy chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't move a muscle."

The boys shared a laugh and Sven chuffed, signaling them to focus on the issue at hand as the reindeer marched aimlessly. The boys were stuck in a dense forest, bare of any animals.

Caleb pulled back the reins a little to slow Sven down, "There's a place up ahead where we could stop and sleep for the night."

Kristoff nodded and once at the glade, Sven stopped. The boys got off their sled and looked for a comfortable space on the grass to sleep on. Suddenly, as the two young boys were about to lay down, a rumbling ensued as if it was an earthquake. Then rocks started rolling at them and the boys held on to each other to brace themselves. Their eyes also shut close, hoping not to see the pain, but then, the rumbling stopped. The boys slowly opened their eyes to see a massive crowd of trolls. The family of trolls were staring at the both of them intently, showing curiosity. Caleb gave them all a small wave, yet Kristoff was still wary of what the trolls were going to do to them,. Instead, Caleb kneeled down to be at their level.

"Hey. I'm Caleb and this is my pal, Kristoff. We thought that this land was a good place for us to sleep tonight, but if we are intruding on your land, then we will leave," the brown haired boy explained.

Then their leader rolled to the front and revealed himself. He took Caleb's hand as if he could feel his spirit and then smiled at the boy.

"No… you are not intruding. In fact, stay here for as long as you want to," the ancient troll informed.

The other trolls jumped for joy and the two boys had grateful looks upon them as well.

"Kristoff, Caleb. Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone? To start off, I'm Grand Pabbie, the troll elder." The wise troll proposed.

Agreeing to with the elder, both boys went around the prairie introducing themselves. The first troll that they met, Bulda, immediately wanted to adopt the two boys and the reindeer. Of course they accepted as they've never truly understood the concept of family. Over the course of the day, everyone on the grassland celebrated the new family members, continuing to shower the boys with gifts (mostly mushrooms and stones) and welcoming them into their families. After a while, the young lads had to turn in for bed as they had a tiring day. Unlike humans, trolls slept underneath either tree branches or in caves. Luckily Bulda lived in a cave that was big enough for all of them. As for blankets, they were handed a "blanket" that consisted of tree leaves. It was a new lifestyle that the boys had to get used to. As they were laying down, Caleb smiled in the darkness.

"I guess we are now brothers," the brown-haired boy remarked.

Kristoff shared the same smile, "I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."

Caleb extended a hand, "Brothers for life,"

The other boy took the hand and shook it firmly, "Always."

—

A couple weeks has passed since the two lads have moved in with the trolls, and they have found themselves in a smooth groove. They would wake up early in the morning and hear the recent news, then they go to work, collecting mushrooms for the night's feast they have daily. Kristoff and Caleb found themselves going farther away from the troll's land as each day passes on. It's not that they couldn't find mushrooms in the immediate area, but they had an innate sense of adventure. Even though it wasn't their specific job, the boys would often bring back stones or branches for the fire if they couldn't find mushrooms, which the trolls gratefully accepted. One day, when coasting through the forest again, the two boys went a little farther than they had ever been.

Passing through the dense branches of the forest, the two former ice harvesters were searching for mushrooms or rather just playing tag with one another.

"Tag!" Caleb yelled while touching the blonde boy. After the tag, the brunette boy ran away as fast as he could.

Kristoff groaned, "No fair. You're faster than me."

But the running child did not pay any mind to his brother's comment and kept running away. Little did he know that the dense cover of the trees were beginning to end. It wasn't until the bright sun blinded his eyes that he stopped running. To block the bright sun, Caleb put a hand over his eyes. When the light was away, Caleb saw a gorgeous castle with a quaint town in front of it. The brown-haired boy was visibly amazed. Eventually, Kristoff was able to catch up, but was too tired to tag Caleb back.

"Up for another adventure?" He asked the breathless boy.

"Honestly, I would go, but we should be getting back home," Kristoff responded.

The brunette boy was not ready to go back home, so he faced his brother and gave him a pleading hand.

"Cover for me, please?"

The blonde boy caved in as he sighed, "Okay. But you better be home before the feast."

Caleb gave his brother a quick hug, "Thanks Kristoff. You're the best."

As he stepped onto the pier to the town, Caleb took one last look at his partner in crime before fully committing himself toward civilization.

Inside the town, it was bustling with people as everyone was out shopping at the market. There were bright colors everywhere and not to mention that the aroma of freshly baked goods were invading Caleb's sense of smell. It was clear that the young lad was not from around the area as he was the only person who looked remotely lost. Everyone around him was walking quite fast and they even gave him a smile. Seeing all the friendly faces made Caleb want to move into the city. It wasn't that Grand Pabbie and the other trolls weren't friendly, the young boy wanted exposure to unpredictability. Everyday in the prairie, he wakes up and goes into the forest to find food for their dinner. Even back with the ice harvesters, they were set in a routine. Wake up in the morning, gather your set of ice blocks, and deliver them to the drop off site. There wasn't much room to do anything else besides the norm. But in the city, nothing is really planned and each day is a new opportunity.

"Wow. Kristoff should've came," Caleb thought aloud.

Suddenly the young lad was pulled backwards by his arm. When the brunette boy turned around, he saw a complete stranger trying to pull him somewhere. Caleb tried to use his strength to get himself out of the man's grip, but the captor had him tightly.

"Hey! What's the big idea?"'the boy asked, trying to gain attention.

Everyone in the vicinity was looking at him being taken away, but they didn't know what to do. Caleb kept trying to pull away, but it seemed no use. Taking matters into his own hands, the brunette haired boy used his free hand to punch the stranger square between the eyes. Caleb must have punched really hard as the man immediately released the boy and grabbed for his face in pain. Caleb landed on the ground and soon a barrage of footsteps came rushing over to the commotion. Fortunately for Caleb, it was soldiers.

"What's going on here?" One of the guards asked.

Caleb was about to explain himself until a bystander whispered to the guard and he nodded. The other soldiers went over to arrest the kidnapper while the one asking the questions held out a hand to the child.

"Come with me, young man."

Knowing that Caleb could trust these men, he took the hand to help himself up. Once everyone was ready to go, they all headed toward the elegant castle that Caleb was just staring at. The stranger and the child went their separate ways when they went through the open gates. The remaining soldiers with the brunette boy led him inside the castle and into a huge room with a throne in the center. And in that throne was a stern looking king and next to him a gentle queen. In front of the monarchs were two girls, whom Caleb assumed were their daughters.

The king waved over his servant, "Kai, take Anna and Elsa elsewhere please."

Kai the servant nodded and prompted the girls to follow him out of the room. The soldiers continued onward toward the king, which forced the young boy to do the same. Being in the presence of an authoritative figure was intimidating for Caleb. Once they were in range of the monarchs, the soldiers stopped abruptly. One of the soldiers went over to the monarch and whispered something. He nodded intently and afterwards he dismissed all of the soldiers. The king looked at the nervous boy and soon his stern demeanor turned into a smile and somehow Caleb was less nervous.

"Come closer, young lad," the king ordered, waving the boy over.

Caleb did as he was told and he was debating on whether he should kneel before the monarchs or not. He figured that it was too late to decide, so he just stood in front of the sovereigns and suffered in silence.

It was a few tense minutes until the kind king spoke, "I heard what happened in the plaza. And I am sorry that you had that experience."

Caleb muttered something incoherent, which essentially conveyed that he brushed it off.

"I also heard of how you handled the situation," the man added. "I must say, there's a natural fighting spirit in you. I can see it in you."

Through this whole conversation, the brown-haired boy had been looking down at the ground and at the king's comment, he finally looked up.

"Um… thank you, your majesty?" Caleb stuttered.

The monarch smiled, "You may call me King Agnarr. What's your name, young lad?"

"Caleb, your— King Agnarr," the brunette boy said, almost slipping on the formalities.

"Well Caleb, I have a proposition. Do you want to hear it?"

A slight nod was the boy's response and the king presented said proposition, "How about you become a soldier for Arendelle's royal guard? You will be well-compensated as you can stay here at the castle and our soldiers will give you training…"

The sovereign trailed on about the incentives of accepting this position, but eventually the boy tuned him out to think. This was it right here. The opportunity of an unpredictable life that Caleb was looking for. He just didn't know if he wanted it at the moment…

—

Sunset was coming upon the boy quickly and he was only halfway through the dense forest. The feast was usually right after the sun was completely gone and Caleb feared that he might not make it on time. He knew that he should've left Arendelle sooner, but it wasn't his fault that the king decided to place a serious proposal over his head. Maybe he shouldn't have stepped foot in the town and collected mushrooms like he should have been doing. If the young boy was being honest with himself, he was getting tired of the repetitive schedule anyways. Maybe life away from the trolls would do him some good. Caleb pushed all those thoughts aside as he was focused on getting back to the prairie in time for the feast just as he promised Kristoff. And just as the sun was about to disappear, the runaway boy made it to the dinner punctually. He spotted his brother and slipped himself into the line for food next to him.

"About time you showed up," Kristoff reprimanded.

Caleb placed a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder, "I'll explain at the campfire."

As the line for the food came closer to the two boys, they were able to get their food. It was the usual dinner, mushroom stew. The boys took their respective spots around the fire.

Kristoff couldn't wait anymore, so he had to ask, "What took you so long?"

Caleb took a sip of his soup and then responded, "I almost got captured by someone and then I was brought before the king of Arendelle. From there, I was offered a position on their royal guard."

As his brother was explaining, the blonde boy sipped his soup and almost spat it out at the sound of the word "king".

"No way," Kristoff said in disbelief. "You didn't take it right?"

The brunette boy gulped, "Well… I told him that I had to think about it and talk about it with my family. But I'm really considering it."

Kristoff was still in disbelief, "Are you kidding? You know what, don't answer that. Are you planning on telling the others?"

Giving the blonde boy his answer, Caleb stood up from his place and went toward the fire, signaling to the others that he had an announcement.

He cleared his throat before speaking, "Hey family."

Now everyone was looking at him and it made the boy feel uneasy.

Nevertheless he continued, "So, I may have stumbled upon Arendelle and met the king."

Low muttering among the crowds were now ensuing, making the boy feel more anxious.

"From there, the king offered me a position in his royal guard army and I'm really considering it. So I'm planning on going back to the kingdom, just to see what it's like. Okay?"

Dead silence was all Caleb got in response, so he went back to his spot next to Kristoff. As soon as he sat down, Grand Pabbie requested to see him in his cave. Gulping down his soup quickly, he washed up and went over to the leader's cave. Inside was the troll leader himself and Bulda. They were talking amongst themselves until the brunette boy entered.

"Ah, Caleb. Come in," Grand Pabbie gestured over.

The boy did as he was told and placed himself on one of the stone seats. , waiting for the leader to speak.

"So, you have an important choice in front of you," Grand Pabbie informed.

The young boy nodded as he already knew that. He wondered if the ancient troll was going to lecture him about wandering off, but there was a slight chance.

"What were you thinking of doing?" Bulda asked with slight anxiety of what she might hear.

"Um...well.. I…" Caleb stuttered, struggling to form words.

Grand Pabbie placed a calming hand on the boy's arm, "Listen to your heart. What does your heart say you want?"

The young boy closed his eyes and took deep breaths, trying to be in tune with his heart. In his head, he doesn't want to leave the prairie because his family is here. But truly, he wants to venture out and become a soldier. There's spontaneity in that and that's what was drawing in the boy.

"I want to be a soldier for Arendelle," Caleb decided with confidence.

Both trolls had a look of sadness at first, but they were accepting of it. However, it wasn't like the young lad was going to be gone permanently.

"The king said it was a part time position for now as I am training. So I will still be here for the nightly feast," Caleb explained.

Grand Pabbie sighed and fanned his hand to show the boy a vision. In the vision, it shows a human choosing between two sides.

"Once you make a choice, you will end up doing only that choice. You see in time that you have to fully commit to one side even if it may not seem like it. One cannot simply do both," the ancient troll prophesied.

The magical vision then showed the human becoming its chosen profession and it only left Caleb confused.

"I'm gonna come back every night, Grand Pabbie," the boy asserted.

The ancient troll only nodded, "Yes and I believe you will. But you will understand what I just said soon enough."

The young child muttered an okay and left the cave. When he exited, Kristoff was there waiting for him.

"How did it go?" The blonde boy wondered.

"Well, I was told to make this big decision with my heart and I did. I chose to be a soldier. Then Grand Pabbie—

Kristoff stopped in his tracks to interrupt his brother, "So you're really going to Arendelle?"

Caleb scoffed, "Not permanently. Only to train." The brunette boy continued, "Anyways, Grand Pabbie showed me this vision and then tells me that soon I'll have to commit to one side like I understand that."

The other boy scrunched his face, "Well that doesn't make any sense."

Caleb raises his eyebrows in agreement, then he yawned, "Let's head over to bed. I have an early day anyways."

—

At the crack of dawn, Caleb left straight for Arendelle to inform the king of his decision. For some reason, he arrived to the town way faster than he did the first time around. The boy figured that he was just excited to be starting something new. As soon as Caleb arrived at the castle, the soldiers from town were there to greet him. The young boy said a quick hello to the group and continued his trek to the king. As if the king never leaves his spot, the aspiring soldier found the monarch in the same place he was in the previous day. Once the man saw the young lad, he immediately smiled.

"Ah, Caleb. Have you decided on our proposition yet?" King Agnarr questioned with anticipation.

Expressing a confident smile, Caleb kneeled before the king and responded, "Yes, your majesty. I would be honored to become a soldier for the royal army."

Clasping his hands together, King Agnarr beamed brightly. He got up from his throne and put an arm around the boy's shoulders, leading him out of the throne room. Once they exited the room, they headed straight to the barracks, where Caleb saw the soldiers earlier. At the sight of the king, every guard formed into battalion lines and saluted to him.

"General Tyler, Officer Sawyer. You two are in charge of Caleb's training. Make sure he's in his top form," King Agnarr commanded.

Both guards bowed their heads and the monarch took his leave while Caleb was ready to train. From the weapon racks, Officer Sawyer chose a sword and tossed it over to the boy. Once he was armed, the two men led the rising soldier over to the training dummies.

"We are going to work on basic sword fighting and maneuvers," General Tyler said.

Caleb nodded and found a comfortable way to grip his sword. Once he was settled, he focused on the dummy while also waiting to hear the commands from his superiors.

"Charge!" The officer ordered.

The young boy did he was told as he charged at the wooden dummy and soon after the officer yelled another command.

"Attack!"

Once again, the young lad did as he was told.

"Dodge maneuver!"

Assuming the move was a barrel roll, the young trainee did just that. Then another command was shouted.

"Blocking position!"

Caleb tilted his sword so that it was somewhat protecting his body.

The superior soldiers nodded, satisfied with what their trainee has presented them with.

"Those are the four basic moves you must know in the heat of a battle," Officer Sawyer informed.

"Once you've proven yourself proficient with these moves, we are going to help you enhance your fighting skills by sparring with other fellow soldiers," General Tyler explained.

Everything that they said made sense and Caleb was just eager to be a guard. Figuring that the boy understood, the officer commanded that he do those basic moves again and again until their lunch break. The aspiring soldier obliged as he wanted to become the best guard he could be.

—

Soon enough, it was lunch break for Caleb and he realized that he had to provide his own lunch, which he did not. He was debating on going back to the prairie to eat a meal there, but that might take too much time. He wandered around the castle grounds until he saw a servant. The young boy went up to the woman and got her attention.

"Um, excuse me miss. It's my first day of training and I didn't know that I had to bring lunch. Is there something I can eat around here?" Caleb asked politely.

The woman smiled, "Of course dear. I'll just have the chef whip you something to eat."

The brown haired boy matched the servant's expression, "Thank you so much, miss."

The woman chuckled, "Please call me Gerda. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Caleb nodded and relaxed on the green grass of the castle gardens. The young lad reflected on his day so far as he waited for his food. The other soldiers have been impressed by how well he has been progressing through his training. They think that he should spar other guards by tomorrow or even today if possible to begin enhancing his fighting techniques. Just thinking about the next made the boy almost doze off until he heard soft footsteps approaching. Once the footsteps passed the corridor, it was revealed to be one of the king's daughters, the one with platinum blonde hair to be exact. Caleb got to his feet immediately and brushed the dirt off his clothes. The boy bowed his head and crossed his chest, showing respect to the princess, "Afternoon, your majesty."

The girl chuckled at the brunette boy's mannerisms, "Afternoon. It feels a bit awkward hearing you call me that because we are practically around the same age."

The princess extended a hand, "I'm Princess Elsa, but you can call me Elsa."

The training soldier took her hand and shook it softly while also smiling, "I'm Caleb Robertson, but you can call me Caleb."

"So Caleb, what exactly are you doing here?" The princess questioned with curiosity.

"Well, I'm training to be a guard for the royal army," The boy responded with pride.

Elsa smiled, "That's really admirable."

Caleb expressed a proud smile of his own, "Thank you." He looked at the princess, "So what about you? What are you doing?"

The platinum blonde revealed a book in her hands, "Usually before lunch, I read here in the garden, but now… I'm talking to you."

The future soldier grinned at the last thing Elsa said and as if the servants heard the word 'lunch', they came back to the garden to hand off the meal for Caleb.

The princess looked somewhat appalled at the boy's choice of seating, "You're going to eat lunch out here, alone?"

The young boy shrugged his soldiers, conveying indifference.

Elsa shook her head and grabbed the boy's arm, dragging him into the castle.

"You're gonna eat your lunch in the dining hall with my family and I," the princess declared.

Just going with whatever is happening, Caleb agreed with the monarch. The young girl took the boy's arm lightly and directed him in the direction of the hall. After passing some rooms, the pair made it to the dining hall, where the king, queen, and a red headed girl were situated. The platinum blonde sat across from the younger looking girl and prompted Caleb to sit next to her. Once everyone was seated, the young boy placed his plate on the table and was soon taken away by the servants only to be replaced by fresh food from the kitchen. Once all the clamoring of the plates ceased, the king greeted the young boy.

"Ah, Caleb. What a surprise. Having a great first day so far?"

"Yes, sir. Been enjoying my training with the other soldiers," the lad replied.

"That's good to hear. And I've seen that you've met my daughter, Elsa," King Agnarr remarked, gesturing over to the platinum blonde.

Caleb nodded, "Yes I did. She's amazing." He looked toward the princess with a smile and continued, "I think we are going to be great friends."

The king and queen smiled at each other, then the king gestured over across the table, where the red headed girl was sitting.

"This is my other daughter, Anna."

The brunette boy extended a hand toward the redhead, "Hi, I'm Caleb. Caleb Robertson."

The princess stood up to shake the boy's hand, "Hey Caleb! I think we are gonna be best friends!"

"I think so too," the future soldier replied with a toothy grin.

The king, then, gestured over to the woman beside him, "And this is my wife, Queen Iduna."

The young boy smiled and the queen shared the expression.

Now with all the introductions squared away, everyone began to eat their meal. There was no noise other than the sound of the cutlery banging against the plates until Queen Iduna spoke.

"Are you enjoying your time here in Arendelle so far, Caleb?"

The boy swallowed his food before speaking, "Yes, your majesty. Arendelle is a pretty town and the people here are friendly as well."

The gentle queen smiled, "Good, good."

Suddenly, Anna slammed her hands on the table, "You have to be here for the party here in two days!"

King Agnarr's stern voice came out, "Anna, we don't slam our hands on the table, especially when we are eating." He took a deep breath, "And as for the party, yes, we are having a little soirée to celebrate a nobleman's anniversary. You are invited, of course."

"Do you need extra guards at this party?" Caleb questioned, trying to make himself useful.

The king smiled, but shook his head, "No, Caleb, we have enough guards assigned. I want you to come and enjoy yourself."

The young boy beamed, "Then I'll be there."

"Yay!" Anna shouted, raising her hands in glee.

Everyone at the table laughed at the young princess's antics and soon afterwards the reigning monarchs began to clean themselves up.

"Well, if you would excuse us, we have other matters to attend to at the moment. Anna, Elsa, do your studies when you are done. And Caleb, good luck on your training," King Agnarr notified everyone.

As they were leaving, Queen Iduna hugged her daughters and even embraced the young boy.

"I hope you join us for lunch tomorrow. It's always nice to see you," the queen beamed.

The king nodded his head in agreement, "You are welcomed here anytime, Caleb. With that being said, I'll see you tomorrow during your lunch."

"Yes, your majesties," the young boy responded, which dismissed the monarchs.

Anna also decided to leave the table, "Well I have to return back to my tea party. Bye!"

Only Caleb and Elsa remained in the dining room, but the training soldier wanted to head back to the barracks to continue his training, but at the same time, he didn't want to abandon his new friend.

The young boy cleared his throat, "What are you planning to do now?"

"Probably going back to the garden to read," Elsa responded. "I'm sure you have to return to the barracks soon."

Caleb nodded with slight sadness and started heading in that direction until the princess spoke again.

"What are you doing afterwards?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing really."

"Meet me in the garden when you're finished with your training," the platinum blonde instructed with a smile.

The future soldier saluted the princess playfully, "You got it, your majesty."

—

When Caleb got back to the barracks, the superior soldiers set up spar matches for the young boy. Because the boy has never sparred before, the other soldiers were gonna go easy on him. The first match was against a young private, who was probably newly established as he was scared to hit the boy. Equipped with training sticks, the match began and the opponents walked about in a circle. The private was really not gonna go after the boy, so Caleb decided to make the first move. The older soldier was able to parry the attack easily, but did not attempt to counterattack. Confused by the man's antics, the young boy induced a barrage of sword movements, which caused the private to flinch as he couldn't block all the attacks. With one last jab with his stick, Caleb was able to disarm his opponent and win the match. The other soldiers clapped for the young boy's victory. Soon General Tyler called another soldier, this time it was a more experienced looking soldier, maybe a sergeant. Once both competitors were ready, the match began. Immediately the man came charging at the young boy, which Caleb successfully evaded with a barrel roll maneuver.

"Easy, Andrews," the general warned.

The young lad shook his head, "It's okay. Give me all you got."

The soldiers in the crowd cheered at the boy's grit and even the general seemed proud at the moment. Because his opponent had more of an aggressive fighting style, Caleb opted to stay in a defensive position. Once the older soldier recovered from his failed charge, he walked toward the boy and lashed his stick at the boy, which was defended as well. The sergeant repeatedly attempted to jab at Caleb's sword, but it was parried incessantly. Getting tired of blocking, the young boy counterattacked after the last block. His stick was able to graze the arm of his opponent. Unhappy with that, the experienced man paid no mind to his mistake and instead swept his stick underneath Caleb, causing the boy to be on the ground. To finish the boy off, the soldier stabbed his stick toward his head, but that was parried at the last minute. At this point both soldier's sticks were locked into each other. Caleb was at a disadvantage as he was the one on the ground. Despite that, he used all of his might to fight against the older man and get back on his feet. Slowly, but surely, the young boy was back on his feet and he pushed off his opponent. The sergeant was about to charge again until General Tyler raised his hand.

"Stop. I've seen enough."

The older man was about to protest, but the general gave him a stern look, which made the soldier walk away. The superior guard placed a hand on the young boy's head.

"Good work. You are hereby dismissed for the day."

—

Now that training was over, Caleb was running toward the garden to meet up with Elsa. However, he had to slow down as he saw Anna wandering the halls and he was about to run her over. The young boy came to a screeching halt just to greet the young princess.

"Hi, Anna."

The potential soldier was about to run off until the redhead looked at him quizzically.

"Where are you going?" She asked with wonder.

"To the gardens," Caleb responded quickly, itching to go there as soon as he could.

The princess's eyes widened with glee, "Oh, why didn't you say so? Let's go!"

With that, the energetic girl dragged her friend in the direction of the garden. Halfway across the castle, Anna stopped for a brief second.

"You should know something about Elsa," she whispered as if people were listening to their conversation.

"Um, okay?" Caleb said, raising an eyebrow.

"But you can't freak out, okay? I was gonna tell you during lunch, but my sister was there," Anna said defensively, insinuating that she was about to reveal a dark secret.

The boy only nodded, and the young princess proceeded to cup her hands together to amplify her whispers. But before she could even speak, Elsa so happened to walk into the two of them. She expressed dismay at her sister.

"What are you doing Anna?" The older sister interrogated intensely.

Instead of answering the question, the energetic girl ran away from her sister, probably heading to her room.

"Sorry about that. Anna is always very loud and energetic and she can be overbearing," Elsa explained.

"It's fine, really," Caleb responded back. "Anna was gonna tell me something about you. That's all."

"What about?" The princess asked with worry.

The young boy shrugged his soldiers, "I don't know, but it seemed like a big secret because she told me not to freak out. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

The platinum blonde sighed with relief, "Oh. She was referring to this."

And with a wave of her hands, she was able to conjure up a flurry of snow on command.

Caleb's eyes widened in amazement, "Wow. Awesome."

"You're not at all afraid of this?" Elsa questioned, slightly smiling at the boy's reaction.

"Are you kidding? This is honestly the best thing I've seen in my life," the soldier affirmed.

"What are your plans later?" The princess asked as she had plans for them.

"I'm free all night," the brunette boy responded, not willing to go home quite yet.

With his answer, the snow princess dragged her friend's hand and led him toward the garden, where they were originally going to meet up. Elsa went a bit further into the conservatory, where there was an open space, much like the troll's prairie, only with less trees. From there, Caleb's arm was released and the princess stepped on the ground emitting magical ice from her foot. The once solid ground became a slippery ice "lake".

"Wow. Is there anything you can't do?" The future soldier beamed, visibly amazed at the princess's magical prowess.

Saying no more, Elsa conjured up a pair of skates for the both of them. The usually well coordinated boy almost fell over trying to balance himself on the skates that so happened to be placed upon his feet. The ice princess, on the other hand, had no trouble as she was seamlessly skating all over the artificial ice. Trying to travel, Caleb took a few steps forward and ended up slipping onto the cold ice. He got back up and his hands were taken by Elsa, guiding the inexperienced skater.

"Glide and pivot. Glide and pivot. Keep your arms up to keep your balance," The young monarch instructed.

After a few minutes using his friend for balance, the soldier let go of Elsa's hands and was able to skate on his own. He knew he wasn't as good as the snow princess, but he could go on his own. As he was getting more confident on skating, Caleb challenged Elsa to a couple of races, which he inevitably lost. Soon enough, the legs of the children gave out and they opted to stop skating and rest. With the never-ending fun, the young boy never wanted to leave Arendelle and it seemed as though that Elsa didn't want her friend to leave either.

"Hungry for dinner? I'm pretty sure my father wouldn't mind having you again," the princess offered.

Caleb smiled, "Well, if you all would have me, who am I to turn down good company and good food?"

With that, the children made their way to the dining hall, where they were the last ones to arrive again.

"Nice to see you again, Caleb," King Agnarr immediately greeted with glee.

The queen also gave a quick wave while Anna came out of her seat to run over to the boy.

"Caleb!" Anna screeched, running toward the brunette boy giving him a hug.

After Caleb reciprocated the hug, everyone sat at the table awaiting the food. There was no silence tonight as the king started the conversations.

"So, Caleb, I heard that training went well for you today," King Agnarr brought up.

"Yes, indeed it was great," the boy answered.

"It went so well that you managed to be victorious in both of your spar matches against two veteran soldiers. Very impressive," the monarch continued.

The young boy thanked the king quietly remaining humble.

"Which is why I'm offering you a position in my royal army."

The boy's eyes widened. Only after a day of training, the king believes that he is capable of protecting Arendelle among his other brethren?

"Thank you, your majesty. Really, I am so grateful," Caleb thanked, barely making coherent words.

As if he was on cue, General Tyler came into the dining hall and presented the king with a sword. The ruler waved the boy over and prompted him to kneel before him. Once the young lad did, the king took the sword and knighted the boy into a soldier. Caleb was prompted to rise afterwards and he was handed his own sword, sharp and reliable. After the knighting was finished, the general left and the king patted the boy's back, congratulating him.

Now everyone was back on the table still awaiting the food.

"Well our meals would certainly be a lot safer now that we have a soldier eating with us," Queen Iduna joked.

The rest of the table chuckled and finally the food came out. It was an array of dishes, but the common theme was stew and soup. Once everything was served, the kids were about to eat until the king put a hand up to stop them. The monarch grabbed his glass and raised it up, prompting the others to do the same.

King Agnarr pointed his cup toward the young boy at the table, "To Caleb. Our newly established Arendellian soldier."

**(A/N): Thanks for reading. Hope you stick around for the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N):** **Coming back at you with another chapter of "Intricacy". Enjoy at your own risk!**

Chapter 2: A Letter a Day Keeps the Brother at Bay

It was after dusk, yet numerous stars illuminated the night sky. There was a slight breeze rustling the trees. Everyone on the prairie was about to turn in to bed when Caleb arrived. Some waves were exchanged, but everyone continued on their way to their homes. When the boy arrived at Bulda's cave, Kristoff immediately greeted him. It started off with smiles, but then it morphed into anger.

"Why are you home so late?" Kristoff interrogated.

Caleb put his hands up in defense, "I was eating dinner with the royal family."

The blonde boy glared intensely, "What's wrong with having dinner with your actual family?"

"Nothing! They offered me a meal and that's what held me up," the brunette boy retorted. "Oh and if you care, I got a position in the royal guard. Guess it's a good thing I'm leaving."

At this point, Kristoff dropped his angry demeanor and sadness flashed before him.

"You're really going?"

Caleb sighed, "It doesn't seem that I have much of a choice. Being a guard for Arendelle means that I have to maintain my post in Arendelle. Besides, I also got invited to a party at the castle. I was planning on staying the night over there rather than coming home."

Kristoff released an exasperated breath, "Wow… so this is really happening."

The brown haired boy squeezed his brother's shoulder, "I promise I'll write often."

The blonde boy pointed a stern finger, "You better."

The boys embraced each other, saying their goodbyes and then headed to bed.

—

Caleb woke up before everyone in the prairie, yet it was too early to leave for Arendelle. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, the boy found some parchment to write his first letter on.

_Dear Kristoff and Sven,_

_ Today marks the first day we are apart from each other and it's all my doing, but choosing this path made sense to me. Like I said last night, I will write to you when I get a chance to (hopefully everyday). By the way, you are always welcomed to Arendelle when you feel like coming over, just come straight to the castle. On that same note, I will try and visit you and our family, which might not happen often. I wrote this letter as you slept and I decided to head out to Arendelle a bit early. So… this is goodbye. Make sure you tell Sven hi for me once in a while. I will miss all of you. _

_Your brother always,_

_Caleb_

_P.S: Tell Grand Pabbie that he was right all along..._

Once the boy finished the letter, he folded it and left it near the sleeping boy's bedside. Taking one last look at the prairie, Caleb waved goodbye and headed toward Arendelle.

—

The streets of the kingdom were practically bare; however, the barracks made up for it as every soldier was awake and training. Caleb grabbed his sword and placed himself in front of a dummy. Visualizing it as a person, the soldier recruit began slashing the wooden dummy, occasionally parrying its "attacks". Soon enough, General Tyler came over to oversee his young soldier.

"Ah, good initiative, recruit. In case you didn't know, today is a free training day and then tomorrow, all soldiers have the day off due to the soirée, except if you are needed."

The young boy nodded, "Yes sir."

As soon as the general was dismissed, Caleb went back to his dummy and sliced it more. After a few minutes, the young boy got tired of beating up the wood and opted to go condition himself by running around the castle. On his first lap, the soldier took in the beautiful scenery that surrounded the palace. The recruit was coming upon the garden, where he noticed Elsa reading. The princess looked up for a moment and gave the boy a wave. Staying in stride, Caleb also waved back and continued his lap. As his lap was about to conclude, the young recruit noticed that more soldiers were heading out for a run.

"One more lap can't hurt," the boy said to himself.

The young soldier maintained his slow and steady pace to finish out strong. Upon passing the garden again, Elsa was still reading, but this time Anna was with her. Both girls saw their friend and while one waved, the other decided to join the soldier. Caleb was surprised at this sudden change, but he rolled along with it. He waved goodbye to the ice princess and muttered a quick 'hey' to Anna. It seemed as though that the usually energetic princess was out of breath trying to keep up with the soldier, so much that she couldn't speak another word. When they were about to finish up their lap, King Agnarr was outside the castle walls, seemingly waiting for the two of them. The running pair both stopped in front of the monarch and he smiled at the two.

"Wash up, both of you. Lunch is about to be served."

The kids nodded, which dismissed the king. Anna and Caleb headed into the citadel to prepare themselves for their meal. The redhead was still catching her breath.

"How do you do it?"

The soldier shrugged his shoulders, "Save your energy till the end of your lap."

"That does not make any sense," the young princess replied.

They shared a chuckle and parted ways to clean up.

—

Nothing much was said during lunch. It seems as though no one had any news to share. Once everyone was almost done with their food, Caleb thought it was best to talk about something.

"I have something to share with all of you," the boy announced.

Everyone looked up, waiting for the soldier to share.

"I technically moved away from my family and… I was thinking of moving here to Arendelle," the recruit informed slowly, trying to gauge the others' reactions.

It was quiet for a long minute until Anna yelled out in glee.

"Are you really moving? Oh maybe you can move here in the castle! We are going to have so much fun and we will spend so much time—

"Anna…" the king interrupted softly. "Caleb, if you are actually moving into Arendelle, I can offer you a room in the castle since you are a guardsman. That is if you don't have anywhere else to go."

The boy nodded with affirmation, "I would be very grateful, your majesty."

"So it's settled," King Agnarr confirmed.

Several smiles were splayed throughout the table as well as a couple cheers from Anna. It made Caleb feel like he truly belonged here.

—

Although the young boy wanted to continue training, Anna dismissed him from it for the day, so she can give her new housemate a tour of the castle. So far, the soldier has seen the garden, dining room, and the kitchen.

"This is ballroom, where the party is going to be tomorrow," Anna explained, gesturing across the room.

Caleb was in awe of the size of the room. In about twenty four hours, this room is going to be filled with guests. The boy's admiration of the room got cut short when the young monarch took his hand and led them both upstairs.

Anna talked while gesturing to each room, "Here are the servant quarters, dad's study, my parent's room, gallery room, fireplace room, more rooms here…"

Then the princess emphasized her hand gestures on this particular room, "Here is my room! And Elsa's too."

Caleb was invited in and the bedroom was more than enough space for two girls, but given their prestige, one could understand.

"Your room is amazing," the soldier admired wholesomely.

"Thanks!" the princess replied.

Then the girl started grabbing blankets and other sheets, placing them methodically into a mini house.

"Since you're living here now, it would be best if you had a fort in our bedroom," Anna explained.

The recruit shrugged his shoulders, "Well, why not?"

He proceeded to help the redhead construct the fort. For a brief moment, they both took a step back to look at their work.

"It's small, but it's good enough for me," the brunette boy pointed out.

Anna shook her head and stuck her head outside the bedroom door.

"Gerda, could we have more blankets please?"

Not a moment too soon, the children had more sheets to expand the fort with. Gerda was also generous enough to give them some pillows for the interior. After a few revisions to fallen blankets, the fortification was complete with space for a maximum of four people and a comfortable atmosphere. The "ceilings" were high and the "walls" were somewhat small, which meant that this fort was not going to fall.

"There's something missing," Caleb contemplated.

Anna joined in the pondering and it seemed like their thoughts had been answered when Elsa came into the room. Of course, the first thing the ice princess noticed was their fort.

"Wow, did you both just finish that?" She asked.

The soldier hummed thoughtfully, then answered, "Not quite. It needs a bit of something."

Without any further explanation, Elsa grabbed some fairy lights from the closet and hung them over the roof. Then, she manifested a mini snowball in her hands and released it toward the fort. Once the snowball made it over, it dissolved into tiny ice crystals, making it appear to snow inside the fort.

Caleb looked over at the ice princess proudly, "That's exactly what it was missing."

Now that the fortification was truly complete, the children went inside to unwind. Only a few minutes had passed until their first visitor came and of course it was none other than King Agnarr.

"Ah, there you kids are. Done with the castle tour already?"

The trio nodded and the king laughed, "Did you even show Caleb his room?"

Not even getting up, Anna sighed, then motioned toward the fort, "This is his room."

Another chuckle was elicited from the head monarch, "Okay. Well, as a secondary room, your quarters are down this hall, next door to the girls' room. Your guard uniform is already in the closet. You can wear it tomorrow for the soirée… and for the tour of Arendelle in the morning." King Agnarr looked at his daughters, "Anna, Elsa. Could you please give Caleb a tour of the kingdom tomorrow?"

"Yes father," they both replied.

With that, the king left and the kids stayed in the fort enjoying each other's company.

Anna sighed happily, "We are going to have so much fun tomorrow."

—

The morning rays shown through the windows of the castle, which woke the young soldier. He'd almost forgotten that he slept in the fort the night before while the girls slept in their beds. Both of the princesses were still sound asleep. So reluctantly, Caleb decided to get dressed into his guard uniform. He opened the closet and there were seven different sets. The boy randomly chose to put on the navy blue uniform and went back to the princesses' rooms, where they were still trying to get up.

"I'll give you both a minute," the recruit said, taking his position outside the room.

The shuffling of footsteps ensued as it was clear that both girls were rushing to be ready. Within a matter of minutes, they both were in casual dresses.

"You both look nice," Caleb complimented.

Both monarchs uttered 'thank yous' and the trio was about to walk until a servant made them stop in their tracks.

"Master Caleb, I believe you are forgetting this," the servant informed while handing the boy his sword.

The soldier took it gratefully, "Thank you, sir."

The man smiled, "Please call me Kai. And if you all would not mind, I will be accompanying you on the tour."

The children all extended their hand toward the exit giving Kai the go ahead. As the group stepped out of the castle walls, it was revealed that there were more people here in the kingdom than there was the first time Caleb came here. But the scenery never changed. The familiar smell of freshly baked bread filled the air and the boy's stomach began to growl.

Elsa giggled, "I think I know what our first stop is going to be."

The group stepped into the source of the smell, which was a bakery. There were plenty of pastries being showcased and they all looked equally good.

"You gotta try the blueberry muffin. It's my favorite," Anna recommended. "Oh, but you can't leave this place until you've tried their freshly baked banana bread."

"Or you can try their famous strudels," Elsa suggested.

Caleb shrugged his shoulders, "I'm gonna try all of them."

Once the transaction was done, each child got their respective pastry and began to walk on to the next landmark. Anna insisted that the soldier try the muffin first, so he did. The muffin was still warm and very fluffy. The boy nodded his head in satisfaction and he was handed the next pastry, the banana bread. Once again, it was fresh out of the oven warm and crumbly. Again, the boy was satisfied with the treat. The last baked good was the strudel, which came in a variety of flavors, so Caleb chose the chocolate one. Before taking a bite, the recruit split the strudel into three pieces and gave one to each of the princesses. At the same time, they all ingested their piece and they all enjoyed it.

"I think that one was my favorite one," Caleb announced.

"You definitely made a great choice in choosing the chocolate one," Elsa pointed out.

"Of course you would say that. Chocolate anything is your favorite," Anna retorted.

The older princess playfully rolled her eyes, "Anna, chocolate is your favorite treat too."

Kai made an abrupt stop and pointed out to the pier, where many ships were docking.

"This is the pier, Master Caleb. Trading usually happens here, but when we are having an influx of visitors, ships can be docked here."

The soldier listened intently and the servant continued, "Behind the ships is the fjord of course. On the other side lies only mountains, so not many troops are deployed to that area."

After a few minutes of enjoying the view, the group went onto the next stop, which was a tailor shop.

A look of confusion was expressed on the boy's face, "Why are we here?"

"His majesty requested that we get a suit for you for tonight's event," Kai explained.

An excited scream was elicited from Anna, "Oh, judging clothes is so fun!"

The other children gave the young princess a questionable look, but rolled with it.

Once inside, the tailor greeted them.

"Hello your majesties. What can I do for you?"

Kai presented the recruit, "Master Caleb needs a suit for tonight's festivities."

The tailor scanned the young boy and immediately went into his back room. A few short minutes later, he called out for the young boy to try on a suit. When the soldier came out to showcase the suit, he visibly cringed. It was a glittery purple suit with matching glittery pants. It was like the tailor went overboard with the glitter.

"I'm not too fond of this," Caleb admitted.

Anna hummed in thought, then shook her head, "Nope. Next one please!"

The tailor dragged the boy back into the back room to try on another suit. When the soldier came out, it was a better choice. It was the classic look of the black and white tux.

Anna hummed in thought again, "It's better, but it needs more pizazz."

The tailor smiled, "I know just the suit."

Once more the pair went back and got the "perfect suit". When going out front and showing the others, Caleb was proud to be wearing the suit. It entailed a white dress shirt with a Arendellian green sash. The suit jacket was also Arendellian green that had a space for the boy to don the Arendelle crest.

"We will take it!" Anna exclaimed.

The suit was packed away and it seemed as though that the tour was over as Kai was leading the children back to the castle.

The redheaded princess groaned, "The tour is over already?"

The servant chuckled lightly, "You must rest before the celebration tonight."

"Yeah I guess you're right," Anna relented.

As soon as the children arrived back at the castle, back to their blanket fort they went.

"You know. Every great fort needs a name," Caleb pointed out.

"Rainbow Fort!" Anna exclaimed.

"Or perhaps a pun like Fort Blanketdale," Elsa suggested.

The soldier pondered for a bit and snapped his fingers as soon as an idea came up.

"I was thinking of Fortress of ACE. For Anna, Caleb, and Elsa."

The girls nodded their heads in agreement and they all proceeded to take a rest in their fort. The redheaded monarch yawned, which caused the others to do the same. Soon thereafter, the girls began to drift off to sleep. Kai was right, they all needed rest before the soirée, so Caleb also decided to get some needed rest.

—

The young soldier was awoken by footsteps approaching the fortress and it belonged to the queen.

"Oh, I was just about to wake you all. It's time to get dressed for the celebration," the monarch explained.

The boy nodded groggily and proceeded to wake up his companions. Once they were up, everyone went their separate ways to change into their attire. Then the trio met up at the stairs, ready to make their grand entrance into the ballroom. Caleb offered an arm to both princesses, which they both accepted and continued their way down. As the group came down, guests began to trickle in. Playing as the friendly hosts, the children were greeting their guests. Once the reigning monarchs came into the ballroom, they were relieved of that duty to their consolation. The first stop was the snack bar, in which of course they all took pieces of chocolate. Suddenly, Anna ran toward the center of the room, meeting up with a friend.

"Where did she go?" Caleb asked, confused.

"To meet a friend from one of the neighboring kingdoms," Elsa responded. "She's the guest of honor's daughter."

The soldier proceeded to ask, "Do you have anyone you visit at these parties?"

The ice princess shook her head lightly, "I usually keep to myself at events like these."

The young boy felt bad, but he shook the negative thoughts away. He looked at the platinum blonde and declared, "I can be your escort for the night."

"No. I'm okay, really," the princess began to protest.

Nevertheless, the recruit was not gonna take no for an answer. He extended a hand toward the young monarch, "We can start off with a dance."

"Caleb…"

"If you're really not having fun by the end of this song, then we'll stop. I promise."

Whether it was the soldier's honest nature or his convincing green eyes, Elsa finally gave in and the both went on the "dance floor". The orchestra was currently playing an upbeat folk song and while the soldier was dancing along, the princess was awkwardly standing there. However, seeing her friend having so much fun just dancing made the monarch dance along with him. Seeing Elsa finally let herself loose made Caleb proud of her. Out of the whole room, they were the ones that were having the most fun. But to them, it was just the two of them, enjoying each other's company. The upbeat musical number soon transitioned into a slow ballad. Taking the new change in stride, Caleb offered his hand to the princess.

"May I have this dance, your majesty?" the soldier playfully mocked, acting like a pretentious nobleman.

Playing along, Elsa took the boy's hand and they carried on to slow dance to the ballad.

"Are you having fun?" the recruit asked, checking in.

The platinum blonde expressed a genuine smile, "Yes. Thanks to you."

The brunette boy matched her smile and they continued to dance in silence. The crowd faded away and they only saw each other. They rhythmically swayed along to the melody of the ballad. They could have fun like this forever. Somehow this song felt shorter than the previous number as the orchestra was beginning to transition into another energetic tune, which brought the children back to reality. Slightly winded from all the dancing, the children went to grab a drink. With their drinks in hand, the royal duo went into a secluded corner to talk amongst themselves.

"So what would you be doing right now if I wasn't here with you?" The guard asked with curiosity.

The princess pondered for a moment, "I would honestly be in my room or just anywhere away from here."

Taking her words into consideration, Caleb was about to suggest an idea.

"Well if you want, we can-

"Where is that man going?" Elsa inquired, cutting off her friend.

Following the princess's gaze, the soldier saw the suspicious man sneak into another room.

"Aren't guests supposed to stay in the ballroom?" The recruit questioned to make sure.

The young monarch nodded and with his orders, the brunette soldier began to follow after the suspect.

The platinum blonde briefly stop the boy, "I'm coming with you."

"Elsa, I really don't-

"Caleb, I'm coming along," she interrupted sternly.

The recruit nodded reluctantly, "Yes ma'am."

Without raising any attention to the other patrons, the investigative pair went after the suspicious stranger. There weren't many soldiers patrolling the halls and the lighting of the chandeliers gave an eerie vibe of the mission at hand.

"Promise that you are not gonna leave my side," Elsa quivered.

Caleb took a couple steps closer to the princess, "I'm never leaving, promise."

The other guards in the hall acknowledged their fellow comrade's presence, making the young recruit feel uneasy as they are acting like they did not see anything suspicious. Having some courage, the recruit began to enter the rooms, hoping to run into the stranger. The first couple of the rooms were small storage rooms, which were no place for an enemy to hide.

"Where is this guy?" The soldier muttered.

Another door was opened and yet again, nothing was out of place. The sleuths were about to give up until they saw a dark figure heading toward another section of the castle, being chased by two other guards. Knowing that figure was the culprit, the children ran in that direction. In a matter of seconds, the duo was able to catch up with the other soldiers. To the pair's dismay, the guards were out of breath and inevitably lost the criminal. All they could muster was a general direction of where the figure went. Although it was poor information, Caleb and Elsa continued to run after the stranger.

"I just hope he hasn't done anything too heinous," the princess trembled with worry.

"Not on my watch," the recruit objected, not giving up.

The suspicious man finally entered a room and the children were not too far behind. When they entered, they found themselves inside a clock tower. Because it was so dimly lit, both kids were not able to see the man. Caleb drew his sword to protect the princess as well as himself. It was too quiet for the boy's liking and as the minutes went on, the more apprehensive he felt. A loud thud was heard toward the bottom of the tower, which caused the soldier to slightly look down. Then suddenly, the man appeared with his own weapon and lunged at the children. Instinctively, Caleb put his sword up to block the incoming attack. With his remaining strength, the recruit pushed off the older man.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, terribly worried about her friend's sake.

Focusing intensely on the enemy as well as the princess's safety, he responded hastily, "I'm fine. Are you good?"

"Yes," the girl softly whispered.

After a few minutes of staying idle, the criminal charged at the inexperienced soldier with a barrage of attacks. Caleb was able to defend against every jab, except for the last, which was barely deflected by his blade. Because of his momentum, the perpetrator unleashed another round of attacks, which disarmed the young boy of his sword. Unfortunately for the children, the weapon landed behind the enemy, leaving no room for the boy to attain it. Although the brunette soldier knew that he lost, he still stood bravely in front of Elsa, ready to take the fatal blow. The man was about to slash his weapon upon the boy until he, too, was disarmed by the timely ice blast released by the platinum blonde. Soon enough, a pair of soldiers came upon the scene. They proceeded to cuff up the weaponless criminal and take him away. As the soldiers left, General Tyler came into the tower and approached the children.

"Are you both okay?" He asked with concern.

The pair silently nodded, the adrenaline slowly washing away. The general picked up the fallen sword and gave it back to his young recruit.

"Come along now. The king and queen have already been informed of this. They would like to see both of you," the older soldier disclosed.

—

Elsa and Caleb met up with the monarchs in the throne room, which probably meant that the celebration was over. Both sovereigns were visibly relieved when they saw the children and immediately greeted them with a hug.

"Thank goodness you both are okay," King Agnarr uttered, releasing his pent up tension.

The ice princess pulled away from the hug and cleared her eyes

"What happened exactly?" Queen Iduna questioned, wiping away her tears.

Taking a deep breath, Caleb was the one to speak.

"We were investigating the suspicious man as he went to a restricted area of the castle. We chased him to the clock towers and that's when he and I fought. Although I swore to protect her, I never intended to put Elsa in danger." Briefly looking at the ice princess, the soldier added, "I will take full responsibility for this event."

"No. It wasn't all his fault. I was the one who saw the stranger first. And I wanted us to look into it," the platinum blonde protested to her parents.

"It's okay. No one in this room is getting punished. What matters is that you two are safe," the king assured.

"I'm sorry that you two had to experience that. It must have been traumatizing," the queen added, sniffling in between words.

"Caleb did a great job of fending him off. He's a really great soldier," Elsa praised.

The brunette boy got flustered by the compliment, "Um, thank you. I would've been a goner if you didn't blast his weapon out of his hand."

The duo took a moment to smile at one another, knowing how much they helped the other, which made the reigning monarchs smile as well.

"Since that's all, you both are dismissed. Please go to bed at a reasonable hour," King Agnarr requested.

Taking their leave, the children headed upstairs. Not ready to go to bed yet, Caleb stopped abruptly causing the princess to be confused.

"The night is still young. Want to go somewhere?" the soldier asked.

"Sure. Lead the way."

There was a ladder that led up to the castle roof and that's where the pair went. Carefully they both sat on the shingles underneath the star studded sky.

"I was about to suggest here as our hideout spot from the party before we got caught up with the stranger," the recruit revealed.

Elsa grinned slightly, "It's beautiful out here."

"It sure is," the boy responded while going on to lay his back on the roof. Now that he had a better view of the sky, the solder pointed at a specific cluster.

"That looks like Orion's belt."

Elsa looked at her friend with surprise, "You know constellations?"

Caleb sat up and shook his head, "Only Orion's belt."

The young girl smiled, "I appreciate your honesty."

"I'm assuming you know some?" the soldier asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed of his lack of knowledge.

Elsa lied down and pointed at a star formation, "That is the Pegasus constellation, one of my favorites."

The boy squinted, then he lied down, genuinely trying to see the shape, "How do you know?"

"A pegasus is a winged horse. Usually found in Greek mythology." Elsa explained. Then, the princess took the recruit's hand and drew out the constellation, "The square is the pegasus's body. Those stray stars are the legs and the last line is its head."

Caleb hummed in amusement, "Oh, I can see it now." He pointed at a constellation toward their left, "What about that one?"

"That is Ursa Major, meaning great bear. Seven of these stars also form the Big Dipper, a commonly known constellation."

The recruit pointed at another one, "And this one?"

"That's Aquila. I believe it means the eagle."

"I think that one is my favorite," the boy commented.

Elsa looked at Caleb with amusement, "Really?"

The brunette recruit grinned wide, almost playfully, "No. They are all my favorites."

The princess contendly rolled her eyes and they both shared a laugh.

"As much as I love teaching you about different constellations, I believe it's time for us to head to bed," the young monarch informed dejectedly.

The young soldier nodded, "Okay. I just gotta do something before turning in."

When Elsa was just about to head down, she stopped, "Thank you, Caleb."

The boy expressed a confused look, "For what?"

"Just everything."

With that comment, the young princess left the boy smiling as she went to her room. After a couple more minutes under the night sky, Caleb decided to head back into the castle to pen a letter to his far away brother.

_Dear Kristoff,_

_ It's me again and hope all is well over there on the prairie. I would like to say that it was a good thing that you didn't show up at the party tonight as something terrible happened at the castle. I'm all right or else I wouldn't be writing this letter to you. In short, a suspicious man entered a forbidden area of the castle and one of the princesses and I had to stop him. Hopefully you aren't getting into too much trouble without me. Anyways, I have yet another early day ahead of me tomorrow, so I gotta cut this letter short. Say hi to everyone for me. Stay safe and love you always._

_Your brother again,_

_Caleb_

_P.S. You should really learn about constellations._

**(A/N): After writing this chapter, I learned a thing or two about constellations. Anyways have a great day or night, depending on when you are reading this and stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N): First of all, we would like to say that this Coronavirus virus pandemic is no joke. We hope that you all are staying safe and healthy. And before we begin, we would like to give a shout out to ****Tan-Sky****! Thanks for your review/favorite/follow buddy, you were our motivation in finishing this chapter! And of course thanks to all who have or are reading this fic. We appreciate you all.**

Chapter 3: Ordeal Between Steel

Night still reigned over Arendelle and Caleb was about to send out his letter, alas he was halted by a fellow soldier.

"The king and queen wish to see you, recruit. In the king's study."

The boy only nodded and he headed over, stuffing the letter carelessly in a pocket. The young lad was getting anxious with every step he took. Why exactly would the sovereigns want to see him at this hour? Was it because he wasn't in bed yet? Were they going to punish him after all for tonight's events? The soldier pressed those thoughts aside, he did nothing wrong and the monarchs know that. Soon enough, the boy was at the door and once he knocked, his superior answered, allowing access inside.. The king was sitting at his desk and the queen was by his side. They both looked pleased to see the boy.

"Ah, Caleb. Sorry to bother you this late. I just had a thought that I wanted to run by you," King Agnarr explained. "But first, General Tyler has something to give you."

"Kneel down, recruit," the general ordered.

Once the young soldier did, the superior man took his sword and began knighting him.

"I declare thee, corporal of the Arendelle battalion."

Once finished, the general gave the new corporal his status pin, replacing the recruit one.

"You are dismissed now, general," the king commanded.

General Tyler bowed and before leaving he placed a hand on his young soldier.

"Congratulations, son."

As soon the man left, King Agnarr summoned Caleb before the two of them.

The king cleared his throat, "First if all, congratulations on your promotion and now for my idea… um… I don't really know how to word this."

"We wanted you to be Anna and Elsa's personal guardsman along with your position in the battalion," Queen Iduna informed, completing her husband's thoughts.

The young boy expressed confusion, "I don't understand. What does that mean?"

King Agnarr placed a fatherly hand on the young lad's shoulder, "It means that we want you to be Anna and Elsa's bodyguard. We want you to protect them at all times. Like what you did tonight with Elsa."

Queen Iduna did the same with Caleb's other shoulder, "I know this has been a lot of change for you, but you've progressed quite well and we know you can handle this position."

"Besides, you and our girls have already become close with one another. We wouldn't want a stranger to do this," the king finalized.

With everything the monarchs said, the young boy didn't have to think about his choice.

"Okay. I'll do it," Caleb confirmed.

King Agnarr ruffled the boy's brunette locks adoringly, "That's my boy."

Both of the monarchs hugged the soldier. The queen uttered a thank you in the boy's ear, which made him hug his pseudo family tighter. They all pulled away and King Agnarr gave one last ruffle upon the boy's head.

"This position is effective immediately, okay?"

Caleb saluted, "Yes sir!"

—

Morning rose and the younger princess of Arendelle had just been informed of her friend's promotion.

"No way!" Anna exclaimed.

"What?" the soldier responded.

"You? My bodyguard?" The princess questioned with a sly smile.

"Well, and Elsa's." The boy muttered. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Caleb. Do you know what this means?" The redhead articulated, the smile never leaving her face.

The young corporal shook his head and Anna sighed happily, sinking into her pillow.

"It means that we can go wherever we want. As long as you're with me. No adult supervision needed."

"Ummmm. I don't think that's what your parents wanted me to do."

Suddenly Elsa entered the room and joined the other two inside their fort.

"What about our parents?" The older princess asked.

"Well, Anna—

"Caleb got promoted to being our bodyguards!" Anna informed rather excitedly.

The brunette boy groaned, "Oh come on. I was just about to say it."

The younger princess disregarded the boy's complaint and continued, "So now we can, one, spend all day together and two, go wherever we please without any adult."

"And I'm pretty sure that is not what your parents want," the soldier insisted.

Elsa gave a frown at her sister, "I'd have to agree with Caleb on this one."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Of course you would."

The ice princess faced the young boy, "Anyways, congratulations on your promotion."

"So what exactly happened last night?" Anna inquired.

Before anyone could answer, the king opened the door.

"I would like to speak with all of you. In my study, please."

The children did as they were told and followed the monarch into his private room, where Queen Iduna was as well. Once the doors were shut, King Agnarr took a deep breath as if he was stressed.

"Listen carefully, all of you. I have a meeting to attend overseas and I'm leaving tomorrow morning." He gestured over to the queen, "Your mother will be in charge of the kingdom while I'm gone, which shouldn't be more than two days. So all of you listen to her. Understood?"

The children nodded in unison, even sporadically giving the monarch "yeses".

The man grinned widely, "I knew I could count on you all. You are all such good kids."

The queen placed a hand on her husband's arm, "We've got it from here, go pack."

King Agnarr gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and took his leave. With their father, the girl's also began to leave, but the soldier remained.

"Come on, Caleb," Anna directed.

The boy raised an eyebrow, "But we weren't dismissed yet."

Queen Iduna released a chuckle, "You may go, Caleb."

After he bowed his head, the corporal caught up with his friends.

"I think you are way too good of a soldier," Anna commented, giggling softly.

Caleb smiled.

—

Somehow, the younger princess of Arendelle convinced her mom to allow the trio to walk about the kingdom without any adult supervision. She said that she had full trust in Caleb's abilities.

"It's such a nice day out!" Anna exclaimed, basking in the sunlight.

Caleb smiled, "Yeah it is. And what exactly are we doing?"

The young girl pondered, "I actually don't know."

"Really, Anna?" Elsa groaned.

"Well, it is nice to be outside of the castle," the soldier defended. Suddenly something came over him, "Wait…"

The redhead was about to burst with excitement, "What is it?"

Caleb gestured toward himself, "Follow me."

—

The trio went toward the forest in the direction of Caleb's former home and Anna could not contain herself.

"This is probably the furthest we have ever been from the castle," the spritely girl broadcasted.

"Where exactly are we going?" Elsa asked.

The soldier didn't give the girl an answer as they arrived on the familiar territory. However, the trolls were camouflaging themselves as rocks like how he first met them.

Elsa expressed confusion, "What exactly is this place?"

Anna brushed off her sister's comments, "Who cares? Look at that waterfall!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Caleb ordered before the young girl went too far. "There's some people I want you to meet."

Anna halted herself, "Okay. Where are they?"

"Kristoff! Sven! Grand Pabbie?" The corporal yelled, trying to call his family.

The rocks started to roll toward the trio and the princesses were a little startled until the trolls revealed themselves.

"Caleb," Bulda greeted softly.

The boy kneeled down to give the troll a hug. He faced the princesses, "Anna, Elsa. This is Bulda and the rest of the trolls. They are my family."

Both girls gave shy waves and the trolls reciprocated with more enthusiastic waves. However, Caleb was really looking for his brother.

"Where's Kristoff?" The soldier asked.

"Probably wandering in the forest," Bulda assumed.

The corporal nodded, "Okay I'm gonna go find him." The boy proceeded to get on his feet and faced the crowd of trolls, "It was nice to see you all!"

"Bye Caleb! We love you!" They all shouted back.

Taking his royal companions with him, the soldier ventured deeper into the forest. The shade of the trees blocked out the sunlight from striking the children, but it also made the forest appear dark. The trio stuck closer together and the armed guard kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as anything can pop out of these woods. Suddenly, a rustling in the bushes caused the trio to freeze. Caleb motioned his friends to go behind him and he gripped his hilt tighter. The rustling got louder and the soldier was about to draw his sword until the sound revealed itself. The culprit behind the bushes turned out to be a reindeer, much like Sven, but older. The group relaxed and started petting the reindeer, which it enjoyed. Heavy footsteps were now approaching the trio, but they were preoccupied with the reindeer. As the footsteps came closer, Caleb finally placed a hand on his sword, but immediately sheathed it.

"You've always had heavy feet," the boy noted out loud.

"Caleb?" A voice questioned.

"Yes, it's me, brother."

Soon Kristoff and Sven came into view and the boy immediately hugged the soldier.

Once they pulled away, Kristoff took a look at the brunette boy's attire, "Wow. You look fancy."

The corporal patted the blonde boy's shoulder as a thanks. Then the guard gestured over to the princesses.

"Kristoff. I would like you to meet Princess Anna and Princess Elsa of Arendelle."

Caleb did the same for the girls, "Your majesties, this is my brother, Kristoff Bjorgman."

Both parties exchanged smiles and waves. Kristoff's reindeer chuffed at the soldier as if he forgot him.

"Oh! And this is Sven."

The reindeer trotted over to the girls so he could also get petted.

"So what about this reindeer? What's its name?" Anna questioned with her limitless curiosity.

Caleb and Kristoff shared a bewildered look.

"Um… we can name it…." the soldier began and then looked at his brother for ideas, but he, too, was at a loss.

"Oh! Let's name her, Scout," Anna suggested.

The brunette lad looked at the reindeer expert, "Is that reindeer really a girl?"

Kristoff shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, I think so. Its antlers look a bit thinner than Sven's."

Breaking the moment, galloping hooves were heard near the group at an alarming rate of speed. Each being hastily hid themselves in a nearby bush. The person was going so fast, Caleb could only see a dark human figure and its dark brown horse. However, the direction the person was going was unmistakable. The soldier swiftly got out of the bushes and looked for the stranger. Soon the other kids came out of their hiding spots. An awful feeling rose in the young corporal like he was having a premonition.

"We have to go," the boy urged.

Ensuring that Scout was tamed, Caleb placed a hand square between the reindeer's eyes, gaining its trust and vice versa. The boy went on to mount the reindeer.

"What's wrong, Caleb?" Kristoff asked.

"That stranger was heading toward Arendelle and I just have a bad feeling about that person. I don't know why, but we gotta go," the soldier explained.

The blonde mounted Sven, and saluted his brother, "I'm with you. Through everything."

The corporal nodded thankfully. He looked at the princesses, "Kristoff, take Anna. Elsa, I'll help you on Scout."

Once everyone was secure, they looked to the guard for orders.

The soldier took a deep breath, "We have to ride back to Arendelle quickly. So let's go!"

And on his mark, both reindeer mushers prompted their reindeer to accelerate toward the kingdom. The reindeers were galloping really fast, but the horse was faster. Ever since that event during the soirée, Caleb's instincts have been out of sorts and he was hoping that his position as a bodyguard was not afflicting it. Soon the cover of the dense forest disappeared and the sun shone upon the children, which meant that they were close to Arendelle. However, the sun did not reveal the stranger as they were probably miles ahead.

"Take a right here," Elsa instructed.

The soldier veered the reindeer in that direction and it was a short cut to the castle.

"How did you know that was there?" The corporal wondered.

The princess shrugged her shoulders, "I had a feeling."

"Hmph okay."

Unsurprisingly, the gates were opened as the group arrived. The other soldiers were waving at them, but the children did not pay any mind to the pleasantries.

"Has anyone suspicious come around?" Caleb asked quickly.

"Not that we have seen, young lad," one soldier said.

"Where's the queen?" the boy followed up.

The man pointed inside the castle, "The king's study."

Without any further words, the corporal along with the two princesses went straight inside and practically barged in the room, where Queen Iduna was found safe. She was startled at the sudden intrusion by the children as she was deeply focused on an important document.

"Oh, you all are back already?" the monarch asked, getting up from her chair.

Instead of answering, the two princesses ran over to their mother and gave her a hug, thankful that she was just fine. Seeing the queen safe and sound made Caleb cringe in embarrassment. His position as a soldier has made him apprehensive of everyone outside the castle, and he knows that his paranoia can have detrimental consequences. Queen Iduna extended her arm toward the soldier, giving him a place in the hug. The young boy joined them for a brief moment, but pulled away because his thoughts of the stranger kept pestering him.

"Caleb. What is wrong?" the queen asked gently, automatically knowing that something was off with her young soldier.

The corporal placed his head in his hands, "I just don't understand."  
"He thought that someone was coming after you, so we rushed back here, but you're okay!" Anna explained. "Caleb is probably going crazy."

"Anna, really?" Elsa snapped.

"No, she's probably right," the boy concurred.

The sovereign sighed, "Well, I'm all right."

The soldier quickly turned around, "I know, but-

All of a sudden, a window shattered loudly and in came that same figure that the children saw in the forest earlier. Naturally, the two princesses went behind their mother while the soldier remained on the other side of the enemy. The intruder took a second to look at the boy and then at the royal family. In that second, Caleb also looked at the stranger. They were armed with two daggers. Alas, the masked person unsheathed a dagger and went straight toward the queen. The soldier chased after the attacker as he knew that he couldn't get the sovereigns first. When he was in range, the corporal drew his sword and aimed it at the opposing weapon. Then, before the intruder could even touch anyone, the boy's sword clashed with their dagger deterring it's trajectory, so the soldier was able to disarm the invader. Even though the enemy had one other dagger, they still retreated to grab their fallen weapon, which was only a few feet away. When the attacker turned around, they armed themselves with both of their daggers. Caleb assumed a defensive stance, acting like a shield for the royal trio. There was an intense pause before the foe began to charge at the boy. Even with the quickness of the daggers, the soldier was still able to parry the intruder's attacks. However, it pushed back the corporal and he was almost up against the wall. After one last parry, Caleb countered with his own string of attacks, evening the battle ground. The young boy continued his aggressive thrusts to push back the enemy. When the attacker was close to their wall, it countered back with quick slices. Because he was getting fatigued, the corporal locked weapons with the masked person. Due to the close proximity, Caleb was able to hear a deep snarl within the enemy as they were trying to overpower one another.

"You're pretty strong for a young one," the stranger quipped, its raspy voice revealing that it was a man.

The boy chose not to answer and through the man's mask, it was like he could see his smirk. Quickly, the intruder pushed off the soldier's sword and dragged his dagger across the corporal's right shoulder. Instinctively, Caleb swung his sword at the foe, which bumped into a hand causing a dagger to be flung out the window. The boy grabbed at his wound and his blood ended up on his hand, signaling that it was a deep wound. He winced at the pain, but the young corporal still had the determination to defeat the intruder. The stranger clicked his tongue and started walking toward his opponent. Ready to parry the attack, Caleb stood in his defensive stance, weakly however. The blades made contact and it was clear that the enemy had the upper hand. The corporal clenched his teeth to try to gain all of his strength to push off the intruder, but it was no use. The masked man pushed the weak soldier back and slashed his dagger across the boy's leg, causing him to go in his knees. Even though he could barely walk, Caleb still had the fight within him. The enemy shook his head and went toward the royal family, ignoring the fallen soldier. Wincing at his every movement, the boy grabbed his sword and crawled over to the walking intruder to disarm him exercising the last of his strength. With his long reach, the corporal was able to change the lone dagger's path away from the sovereigns. Reinforcements finally came to the boy's aid and everyone besides the intruder was visibly relieved. Caleb was about to meet up with his comrades until he was knocked down from a punch from the masked man. The squadron of soldiers rushed to the young boy's side, and the last thing that the corporal heard was a scream before he was punched once again, this time losing consciousness.

—

When the boy opened his eyes, everything was white as if all the scenery had been washed away. It was also frigid cold, but Caleb couldn't feel it, it was like he was dead. Soon the landscape became more detailed as the soldier blinked. Dark trees began to form and the air seemed hazy. Then, ice sculptures began to form around him. First one he saw was Kristoff and Sven and then there were the sovereigns of Arendelle. Then there was Anna and next to her were the trolls. The only person he did not see was Elsa. The boy looked around frantically, searching for anyone who can explain this. Thankfully, there were galloping hooves coming toward the soldier, but as it came closer it was not a friendly face, it closely resembled the intruder in the castle. The dark horse stopped in front of Caleb, looming over his head. Then, one horse became two, and it kept splitting until they all circled around the guard. The boy automatically recoiled at the limited space he had and added to the fact that he was unarmed.

"Look at you… weak," the clones' voice boomed.

Then, they proceeded to draw their doom-like swords and aimed it at the cowering boy. The blades quickly sliced through the air and as soon as it made contact with the corporal, he woke up in the real world rather groggily. As soon as he shook the nightmare away, Caleb immediately tried to get up, but his whole body was in grueling pain. Even moving his head slightly made the boy wince. From what he can observe, the room was white like what he saw in his dream, but it looked like he was inside the Arendelle castle. Apart from the white walls, there were blood-soaked bandages and rags, probably from the nurses dressing the boy's wounds. Without straining too much, the guard was able to see his thigh as well as his shoulder wrapped in bandages. The boy sighed deeply, he overwhelmed his body by fending off that intruder.

"Good, you're awake," a voice murmured softly.

Caleb turned his head toward the voice and it was his own brother.

"Kristoff?" The brunette boy replied. "I thought you were long gone."

The reindeer tender shook his head, "Well, I was gonna go home after you went inside the castle, but the stranger was on the rooftop and I knew I had to do something. Then you got hurt and I had to stay."

The soldier smiled, "Thanks for staying."

The blonde boy shrugged his shoulders, "Anytime brother. And I would hug you, but you seem to be in a lot of pain."

"Yeah, I kinda am," the brunette boy chuckled.

Kristoff saluted his brother, "Well as much as I want to stay, I have to get going back home. I'll let the nurses know you're awake."

Caleb weakly placed his hand up to wave goodbye and just like that his brother left. The young soldier turned away from the entryway of his room and attempted to go back to sleep, but was interrupted by a knock. Assuming it was the nurses that Kristoff called over, the boy turned over. Instead, it was the queen with a nurse right behind her. To the corporal's relief, Queen Iduna looked like she was not hurt at all, which meant that the reinforcements were able to lock away the intruder.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly with worry.

"I feel okay, even though my head kinda hurts," Caleb responded.

The queen looked at the nurse and nodded gently, which made the woman scurry away.

"I'm just glad that everyone is safe now," the soldier added.

Queen Iduna smiled, "And it's all thanks to your efforts."

"Where's Anna and Elsa?"

The monarch looked toward the exit and then back at the boy, "They are in their room, waiting for you to be out of the infirmary. King Agnarr has also returned and wants to see you once you are ready."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "He's back already?"

The woman's face expressed slight concern, "Caleb. You were out for three days."

The corporal's eyes went wide, "What?"

With her voice breaking and a couple tears shed, the queen sighed, "I'm pretty sure you know, but you suffered massive wounds. And when you intervened with the man one last time, we knew you saved us cause the rest of the soldiers came. However, when the criminal punched you and you laid on the ground lifeless, we were all praying that you were going to be alright."

Caleb listened intently and chose not to say anything.

"Once the soldiers apprehended the man, some soldiers and I rushed you to our infirmary to treat your wounds. And at the end of the night, you still had not woken up. It was a very hard night, many tears were shed."

Queen Iduna took a second to wipe away some tears before continuing, "I notified my husband that night and he was back the next afternoon, but you were still out. Everyone was worried for you."

The soldier's cheeks burned with slight embarrassment, "Gosh, I'm sorry I made you all go through that."

The queen's gentle hand held the boy's hand, "No. We are sorry for making you battle that man alone. I should have done something more."

"Nonsense," the corporal brushed off.

The sovereign slightly grinned, "Well, the good thing is that you are alive and somewhat well."

"Yup. I think I'm ready to get up now."

As if on cue, the nurse returned to the room with a medicinal concoction and makeshift crutches as well as a change of clothes. After swigging back the medicine, the boy was handed his guard uniform, then his crutches. He changed quickly and he proceeded to follow the queen to the throne room, where the king was found. As soon as he entered, King Agnarr quickly walked over to the boy to give him a tender hug.

"Thank goodness," he whispered.

"Sorry for making you come back early," Caleb apologized.

The king pulled away to laugh, "Don't be sorry. I wanted to get out of those meetings anyways. I should be the one that's sorry for leaving all of you vulnerable."

The soldier playfully saluted at King Agnarr, "It was fine. I was just doing my job."

The ruler patted the boy's shoulder, "That's why you deserve this."

The king got up and aside was a soldier with a pillow that had a medallion.

"This is the Medal of Integrity and it is awarded to anyone who exudes courage in the heat of battle and kindness toward others. I believe you have done both, so Corporal Caleb Robertson, I award you this medal," King Agnarr presented.

The soldier bowed his head, ready to receive the award, and the king placed it on his uniform. Both sovereigns gave the boy a hug as a congratulations.

"Now, I believe my two daughters would like to see you," the king mentioned.

With that being said, both monarchs led the way as the soldier hobbled along. Once they made it to the girls' room, the king opened the door.

"There's someone here to see you both."

The princesses eagerly came out of their rooms and they immediately gave Caleb a hug when they saw him, almost knocking him off his crutches.

"Ah, not too tight," the soldier muttered.

Pulling away, Anna displayed a grateful smile, "We all missed you."

The boy matched her smile, "Thanks."

"So how long are you gonna be on those," the young princess asked, pointing to the crutches.

"Um, I actually don't know," Caleb responded, looking to the others for answers.

King Agnarr placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You will probably be out of commission for about eight weeks because of the severity of your injuries."

The boy frowned, "Geez. It was that bad?"

And as positive as ever, Anna nudged her friend, "You will be healed in no time."

—

The princess turned out to be right as Caleb had just finished his last round of physical therapy and was cleared by the nurses to return to full duty. As a reward to himself, the soldier headed toward the pier as it was his first time out of the castle in weeks. Sitting at the edge of the pier, the sound of slow-moving water along with the steady ocean breeze put the boy at ease for once.

"May I join you?" a voice resonated.

Caleb looked over his shoulder to see that it was Elsa. He smiled and patted the space next to him, "You may."

The princess sat down and a comfortable silence ensued, letting the tides fill the empty void. Unconsciously, the soldier swung his legs back and forth as if he was waiting for something to be said.

"How is your shoulder holding up?" the platinum blonde questioned.

The boy glanced at his once-wounded shoulder and gave it a little shrug, then hummed thoughtfully, "It's holding up alright. Way better now than before."

Elsa listened intently, and proceeded to point, "And what about your leg?"

Once again, Caleb hummed, "I can walk on it now, but it would start to hurt after long distances."

The princess pouted as she was beginning to pity the soldier, but the boy quickly changed the subject.

"Where's Anna?"

"She's back at the castle, taking a nap. I couldn't fall asleep so I wandered off," the ice conjurer responded.

"I guess you needed some fresh air too. Have you not left the castle recently?"

Elsa slightly cringed, "No. I couldn't bring myself to leave while you were hobbling around. Practically everyone was concerned for you, so not many people came in or went out."

The corporal chuckled, "I was hobbling?"

It was Elsa's turn to laugh and gave a playful nudge, "Be quiet, Caleb."

Another round of silence arose between the pair as they returned to swinging their legs over the calm waters. Both kids were staring at their own reflections, waiting for the other to say something.

Caleb cleared his throat, "So… how have you've been? Besides the fact that you were cooped up in the castle."

"Definitely better now that you are all healed. I can breathe easier," the princess replied.

"What about your parents? How are they?"

"Momma hasn't gotten much sleep. She has been getting nightmares as of recent nights. Papa is doing fine, or so he says."

A sullen look was present on the soldier's face, "Is it because of what happened with the intruder?"

Elsa frowned, "Maybe, but she won't say so."

"Shucks…" Caleb muttered, looking off in the distance.

Something clicked in the boy's mind as he got on his feet and extended his hand toward his friend, "Well, let's go then."

The platinum blonde had a questionable look plastered on her face, "Where are we going?"

The corporal flashed a smile, "You'll like it, I promise."

The princess was still not all for this adventure as she raised an eyebrow while the boy stood there, grinning like a fool. After a few more seconds, Elsa flashed a smile of her own and grabbed Caleb's waiting hand. Once she was up, the children ran inward, toward town. The first stop that the duo made was the florist shop and it had a colorful array of flowers on the display window.

Before entering, the princess tugged at the guard, "So, what exactly are we doing here?"

The boy laughed at his friend's itching curiosity, "If you really want to know, we are here to get a couple of things for your mom to maybe make her feel better. She did a lot for me, so I thought we could do something in return."

"Aw, that's very thoughtful," Elsa expressed with glee.

With everything squared away, the pair entered the shop and browsed around. There were many bouquets and many colors overwhelming Caleb's eyes as he was not an expert in flowers or anything of the sort.

"Why don't you choose the bouquet? I think it would be more sentimental if it was chosen by you," the corporal advised.

To the boy's relief, Elsa agreed to do so and with a discerning eye, scanned each arrangement.

"Momma's favorite flowers are magnolias," the ice conjurer informed out loud.

WIth this newfound information, the soldier went to each aisle searching for an arrangement with magnolias.

"Caleb!" the princess called out.

The boy ran over to the waiting sovereign and when he arrived, his eyes were directed to a bouquet with full bloomed magnolias as well as budding ones. There were some leaves to give it some color, it was simple, yet elegant.

"Perfect!" Caleb confirmed.

Elsa grabbed the bouquet and the pair started walking to the register.

"So, what is your favorite flower?" the soldier asked out of curiosity.

"Lilacs because it blooms into my favorite color," Elsa answered with pride.

"Purple?"

The corporal's question was answered with only a nod and the pair passed by a flower box that had a lone almost fully bloomed lilac. The brunette boy grabbed and handed it to the princess. A slight blush tinged the ice sorceress' cheeks as she accepted the gesture.

Once the transaction was made and the boy led them both to the final stop, which was much sweeter than the last.

"Oh my god! Chocolate!" Elsa cheered, visibly pleased at the chocolate shop in front of her.

"First, we get a box for your mom, then we can get some for ourselves," Caleb directed.

Once they went inside the store, the strong aroma of chocolate invaded the children's noses. It also did not help that the chocolatier was offering freshly made samples to the pair. Before they could get too carried away with all of the sugar, they snagged a box of assorted chocolates and a couple boxes of milk chocolates, then left to their dismay. With all the sugar running through their veins, the duo was skipping down the streets of Arendelle, laughing about.

"Just how many pieces did you eat?" Caleb questioned in between bursts of laughter.

"Way too much, I think," the princess responded with her own giggle.

The pair made it to the castle, where they were greeted by worrisome guards making the children somewhat bewildered.

"What is with the distressed look?" Caleb asked his comrades.

"It's the queen, she had another nightmare," one of the soldiers said.

Without any further word, the kids went straight inside, passing all the rooms until they found the queen, who was accompanied by a guard and the king. Elsa immediately ran to hug her mother while Caleb backed off and greeted the monarchs with a bow.

The king looked toward the other guard, "Give us some privacy, officer, please."

Once the guard left, the sovereign turned to the children, "We are very glad to see you both."

"What is wrong with mama?" the ice princess asked with heavy concern.

King Agnarr tried to give a reassuring smile, "Your mom is fine. It was just another nightmare."

"Your majesty, if I may ask, are the nightmares my fault?" the young soldier questioned with unease.

The king shook his head, "None of this is your fault."

It seemed that the monarch wanted to continue speaking until he saw the bouquet behind Caleb's feet.

The man cleared his throat, "May I ask what is that behind you, corporal?"

Almost forgetting about their gifts to the queen, the boy grabbed the flowers and box of chocolates.

The guard extended the present over to the queen, "Elsa and I were thinking of you and got you these to hopefully make you feel better."

Queen Iduna brought everyone into a hug, affectionately ruffling the heads of the dynamic duo, "Oh, I appreciate you all so, so much. You children don't know how much this had made my day."

—

The pair was now on the rooftop laying on their backs, reflecting on their morning as well as taking a moment to relax.

"I think that went pretty well," Caleb quipped.

Elsa sat up, staring off into the clear skies, "Yeah, it did."

The response trailed off and silence filled the air, which made the princess's sigh very audible to the soldier's ears.

"Something on your mind, Elsa?" the corporal asked with slight worry.

The girl sighed heavily once again, "I don't want to mess anything up."

Caleb sat up to show that he was listening, "What do you mean?"

"These last few weeks have been normal despite your injury, but still there hasn't been anything too far-fetched going on. I can't help, but think that something is gonna happen," Elsa explained.

"That doesn't mean that it's you that is going to mess up the harmony," the soldier countered.

The princess sighed exasperatedly, "How do you know?"

"Cause I know you wouldn't do anything to mess it up. You're just that great," the boy addressed, staring off in the sunny skies.

The young sovereign smiled at the ground and proceeded to scoot closer to her friend to place her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks for saying that," Elsa said, voice just above a whisper.

Caleb continued staring straight ahead, naturally taking the close contact in stride, "Anytime, Elsa."

The boy then hummed in thought causing the ice princess to pose the same question.

"Is there something on your mind?"

The corporal took a quick glance at the girl on his shoulder to see that she was also facing toward the blue skies before answering, "When I was on the sidelines, I had a lot of time to reflect and the thought of me messing up our normal also crossed my mind. Perhaps it's actually going to be me who is going to break it apart."

"Now look who's being absurd."

"I'm being honest! But really, no one can see into the future, so we don't have to worry about any of us breaking the peace," the boy assured.

"You're right," Elsa concurred.

The pair collectively took a sigh of relief and enjoyed the clear weather together. However, the looming premonition of disharmony still hung over their heads.

**(A/N): And that's a wrap! Before we sign off, we would like to address that in light of this pandemic, we will continue to update this fic asap as we both have Eschool to tend to and that is our first priority. Don't worry though, because we are stuck at home, this story might be updated quicker and besides we could rewatch "Frozen" and "Frozen II" as many times as we want to gain more inspiration. As of right now, we don't know when the next chapter will be up but rest assured that Ch. 4 is in the works, so look out for that. Now then, have an amazing day! Stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): Yikes… it has been a while, but yet another installment of "Intricacy" is here. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Winter Wars

"What keeps you up at night, Caleb?" Elsa asked with immense curiosity.

"That's a rather serious question," the soldier responded, unsure where this conversation was headed.

The princess lifted her head off of the boy's shoulder to give him a pleading look, "Just please answer the question."

"Okay, okay…" The corporal took a deep breath, "The thought that always keeps me up at night would be what would've happened if I took a different path in life. Like what if I didn't get a position in the army? Then, I wouldn't have met you and Anna and I wouldn't know what I would do."

She smiled, then frowned, "My answer would have been less sentimental."

"What would have been your response?" Elsa looked at the ground embarrassed

"I often think about my powers. Like where do they come from? And why do I have them?" The girl scoffed "I know, it's a foolish thought."

Caleb shook his head, "Not at all. I think it's natural to think about your powers because only you have to deal with that issue. It's what makes you unique."

The princess expressed another smile yet stared off in the distance to the sun setting,

"Thank you for saying that."

"Anytime," the guard muttered.

Silence consumed the space between the pair and as the sky turned dark, the trapdoor leading back in the castle opened with a familiar face popping out.

"Finally, I've looking for you guys everywhere!" Anna said exasperatedly.

The older children took a quick glance at each other, which prompted Anna to continue, "Wanna play Enchanted Forest?"

"Enchanted what?" the boy asked.

"What? You've never played?!" the younger princess exclaimed.

Caleb nodded in embarrassment, prompting the redhead to grab his hand and drag the boy down into the castle. Elsa trailed behind them, telling Anna to slow down, but the spritely girl couldn't contain her excitement. The younger princess let go of the soldier's hand once they all reached the ballroom. Anna scanned the room and like a movie director, she extended an arm toward her sister.

"Elsa, set the scene."

While the ice enchantress manifested snow for the game, Anna explained the regulations to the inexperienced boy.

"Enchanted Forest is a game that you create. You make up the game as you go. Elsa makes all of the characters because she has the powers, and we all act out their thoughts. Do you get it?"

"Um… so we pretend?" Caleb questioned, still a bit confused.

Anna patted the soldier encouragingly, "Not pretend, but _act_."

The soldier was about to protest the girl's comment, but Elsa was about done with making the setting, which only consisted of trees. The ice princess proceeded to create mini snow figurines for all of them. Both princesses had formal looking ladies while the corporal had a dashing knight.

"So, I'm acting as Lady Ringwall. She's from a kingdom far away. She's always looking for love!" Anna explained with enthusiasm. The redhead gestured over to her sister's figurine, "Elsa is Countess Pauleen, a mysterious woman. She's from a neighboring kingdom and might be related to Lady Ringwall." The princess excitedly pointed at Caleb's snow figure, "And you will play Sir Shepard Shaw, a brave knight always willing to put himself in front of others."

"Oh, that's pretty easy to do," the boy affirmed.

With everyone's parts assigned and the simple scene set, the game of Enchanted Forest commenced…

_There was a steady breeze blowing past the autumnal forest and within those dense clusters of leaves is the kingdom of Nemus, where Lady Ringwall resides in her seemingly impenetrable castle. Not many could be cooped up in a castle for too long and with the nice weather, Lady Ringwall took a stroll around the surrounding woods, wanting to discover what was beyond her kingdom. However, Countess Pauleen catered more towards the beauty of the forest: the animals, the growing plants, the aesthetic of green. Lady Ringwall marveled at every aspect of the landscape, but suddenly the sky turned dark, the beautiful flora turned black, and the animals scurried away all the while leaving the lady dumbfounded. Off in the distance, there were screams of terror seemingly from the residents of Nemus. Then a snowstorm was incoming toward the monarch rather fast and a soldier emerged in front. The man immediately grabbed the lady's hand, dragging her toward her castle. The storm was right on their tail, swallowing up anything that was in its way._

"_What exactly do you think you're doing?" Lady Ringwall protested, trying to pry herself free._

_The knight ignored the woman's question and continued to run. In a matter of minutes, the pair arrived at the castle and barely made it in the gates as the porter was close to shutting the door. There were cheers when everyone saw their monarch arrive, but it was short lived as she went straight to her quarters with the soldier._

_Shutting the door quickly, Lady Ringwall expressed anger, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"_

"_Well if you didn't see, a snowstorm is enveloping this land," the man said sarcastically._

_The sovereign was not pleased as she sighed exasperatedly and the knight sighed, "Fine, you want pleasantries first. I'm Sir Shepard Shaw. A knight from a neighboring kingdom."_

"_Well Sir Shaw. I'm Lady Ringwall and I'm the ruler of Nemus, the kingdom you're currently in. First of all, I would like to thank you for saving me back there and second of all, what exactly is happening?"_

_The soldier shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. And the fact that you don't know is quite concerning, so we might want to contact the other kingdoms."_

_The royal adviser entered the room and sneered, "If you ask me, I think it's the countess from yonder."_

_Both the ruler and the knight raised their eyebrows. Then, the soldier took a step toward the vizier, "Why would you assume that?"_

"_Rumors have circulated that Countess Pauleen has supernatural powers and I wouldn't be surprised that this storm was her doing," the adviser explained._

"_Well, I'm sorry, but we don't have time for rumors," Sir Shaw quipped with slight annoyance._

_Lady Ringwall dismissed the advisor to the soldier's delight. And when one person leaves, another one comes in. This time it was Countess Pauleen, looking relieved to see the ruler of Nemus and she immediately gave the lady a tight embrace._

_The nobleman expressed confusion, "I'm assuming you two know each other?"_

_Lady Ringwall pulled away from the countess, "Sir Shaw. This is Countess Pauleen. She is the wife of Count Hendricks who rules the kingdom of Chavvon. Oh, and we are distant cousins."_

"_Okay…" the man responded, "What are we going to do about the storm?"_

_Both women chuckled at Shepard's mannerisms. But it quickly stopped as thumping footsteps were approaching the citadel. Several screams were heard outside in the foyer, which prompted the lady to look outside her window._

"_Oh god…" Lady Ringwall muttered with fear._

_Sir Shaw saw through a window himself and he saw about four abominable snowmen surrounding the castle._

"_Okay… now what?" The knight asked, visibly worried._

To the surprise of the kids, both King Agnarr and Queen Iduna entered the ballroom, where they smiled at them. At the moment, they acknowledged the sovereigns and continued on with their game.

_Lady Ringwall gulped , "I don't know what to do…."_

"_Guess we gotta fight them," Sir Shaw concluded, swinging his sword expertly._

"_You can't expect to defeat them by yourself," the countess protested._

_The soldier shrugged, "Well Countess, sometimes, we gotta try."_

_Before Shepard could fully commit himself, Lady Ringwall grabbed the knight's arm._

"_That's why we are fighting with you."_

"Bed time soon, girls and boy," Queen Iduna interrupted.

Anna groaned in disappointment and quickly hurried back to the figurines.

"Come on. Let's finish this quickly."

_The trio stood bravely outside in the frigid cold, waiting for their moment to attack the snow monsters. One of the snowmen saw the tiny humans and took giant footsteps to approach them. The knight was the first to engage with the enemy with a slash through the monster's leg. And when the soldier looked up, he saw the snowmen shedding snow, which directed his vision over to Countess Pauleen. She was taking snow off of the enemy with her telekinetic powers._

"_Those were the rumored powers?" Sir Shaw shouted at Lady Ringwall._

"_Yup!" The woman yelled back._

_The swordsman mouthed a 'wow' and continued to battle. Since one abominable snowman was being taken care of, it was time to attack another one. However, Lady Ringwall was one step ahead as she had a sharp stick and she leaped from a high ledge to thrust the weapon into the snowman's chest. At first, the sovereign cheered at her successful attack and the knight cheered along with her. Then the realization of being stuck high up in the air dawned on the ruler and she hung on to the suspended stick for dear life. The snow monster became aware of the lady and attempted to grab at her to probably throw her, but Lady Ringwall expertly evaded the hand. Seeing his comrade in danger, Sir Shaw ran up a steep slope to gain speed to jump far enough to reach the monarch. At the edge of the slope, the knight thrusted himself forward and efficiently snatched Lady Ringwall from the monster. The pair landed onto the powdery snow with the swordsman's back taking the brunt of the fall. In response to the near-death experience, Shepard threw his head back to intake more air and possibly thank the gods he's alive, but Lady Ringwall pulled the dashing knight back up to place a searing kiss upon his lips._

"Ew… kissing won't save the forest, Anna," Elsa groaned with a slight giggle.

"Yeah… wasn't expecting that," Caleb admitted, cheeks turning red.

The monarchs in the audience chuckled along with the kids, but pointed at the grandfather clock, indicating that they should wrap up. So due to the time constraints, the ice princess decided to take over the game.

_Countess Pauleen had finally gotten rid of the first snowman, but there were still three others, including the one with a stick protruding out of it. Finishing off two monsters with one attack, the countess telekinetically lifted two enemies and aggressively slammed them together, instantly turning the snowmen into fresh snow. The last snowman that remained was the one that Lady Ringwall and Sir Shaw were supposedly fighting, but they somehow disappeared. The abominable foe became aware of the stick in its chest as it took out the weapon and directed it toward the noblewoman. Before the countess could even ready her telekinetic powers, the snow behemoth powerfully swung the stick over to a nearby tree, forcing Countess Pauleen to crouch to dodge the attack._

_The aristocrat smirked, "You missed!"_

_The tree that the snowman struck began to crack as it was about to fall down and the woman's confident demeanor was dropped as she knew she celebrated too early. The tree quickly split from its trunk and the countess had to telekinetically hold the big tree to save herself. Seeing its time to strike, the monstrous snowman quickly balled a fist and directed it toward the distracted noblewoman. Then, out of the blue, Sir Shaw came charging from behind the countess and stopped right in front of the woman. As the fist approached the pair, the knight effectively sliced it into equal pieces, leaving both nobles unharmed. Once the threat was neutralized, Shepard helped Countess Pauleen push the tree away._

"_You okay?" the swordsman asked._

_The aristocrat delayed her answer as she pushed the handless snowman into a nearby snow mound, fully ridding of the threat._

"_Now I am okay," the noblewoman quipped._

"The forest is saved! For now," Elsa narrated.

"And Lady Ringwall and Sir Shaw get married!" Anna shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

Everyone chuckled at the princess's imagination.

"What were you all playing?" King Agnarr questioned with curiosity.

"Enchanted Forest!" The sisters exclaimed in unison.

The king proceeded to raise an eyebrow, "Well, that's not any enchanted forest I remember."

"Wait what?" Caleb blurted, processing what the monarch had just said.

"You have seen an enchanted forest before?" Anna asked. "And you never told us?"

King Agnarr lit up a candle, "Well, I was saving as a bedtime story for a later time, but here we are." The ruler began to head up to the children's bedroom, "Come on, to your beds and I will tell you all."

"Are you sure about this?" Queen Iduna faltered as if telling the story was hazardous.

It seemed to be a 'yes' as soon as the whole family entered the room. The children sat in their fort, waiting for the king to narrate his story.

"My adventure happened when I was a boy, just a little older than you all are right now. My father, King Runeard, took me to an enchanted forest where people called the Northuldra practice magic."

"Magic like mine?" Elsa asked.

The sovereign thought about the question for a second, "Somewhat. But these people relied on nature for their powers."

"More specifically, fire, water, wind, and earth," Queen Iduna clarified.

King Agnarr nodded, then continued, "Your grandfather gave the people of Northuldra a gift, a mighty dam to strengthen their waters. To honor the new alliance, the Northuldra planned a feast, where we all gathered to, well, celebrate." There was a dramatic pause as the ruler looked down. "But we were fooled. Suddenly fighting ensued. What was once an alliance had been broken into rivals. I was unexpectedly knocked unconscious, but I heard a voice and I was saved. Later that night, I was informed of my father's demise and I became… king of Arendelle." With a final dramatic touch, the narrator blew out the candle.

The children sat there with their mouths agape in astonishment. Their game of Enchanted Forest could not compare to actually stepping foot in one. Because his task was fulfilled, King Agnarr got up to take his leave.

"Time for bed," he said.

The trio groaned and a stern glare from the king was what they got in return. Queen Iduna looked at her husband pleadingly, trying to convince him otherwise.

The man sighed, succumbing to everyone's request, "Okay. You all can stay up a little longer. I need to talk to Caleb anyways."

The monarch proceeded to motion the young boy over to the hallway while the girls stayed inside the room. Once the door was closed, the ruler kneeled down to the guard's level.

"How have you been feeling?"

The soldier smiled, "I've been feeling great ever since I've healed up. And playing with Anna and Elsa is always a good way to pass time."

King Agnarr gave the corporal a pat on the shoulder, "Good, good." What was once a lighthearted conversation turned into a cautious one. "I know it might be a little soon, but the man who intruded the castle hails from a kingdom where they are not on good terms with Arendelle. Probably to the point where we might go to war with that nation for the attempted assassination of my family."

Caleb's eyes widened, "So, what do I need to do?"

The monarch couldn't help, but smile, "You're always ready to work, huh? I like that. Anyways, I still need you to protect my daughters, but should the war encroach our land, you must be ready to fight either on the front lines or the last line. Are you going to be okay with that?"

"Of course," the boy affirmed with a salute.

Satisfied with his soldier's answer, King Agnarr got up and opened the door, allowing the young corporal to join his friends.

Anna lit up when she saw the soldier, "You made it back in time, Caleb! Momma was telling us about Atohallan…. Am I saying that right?"

"Octa-who-what?" The boy asked.

"Momma says it's a place that knows everything. The past, present, and future," Elsa explained.

Once again the soldier was astonished, "No way…"

Queen Iduna chuckled, "My mom would always sing us a lullaby about Atohallan before we would go to bed. If you all want to lay down and listen, of course."

Immediately, all the kids went underneath their covers, ready to listen. The queen ruffled all of the kids' heads and sang.

_Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a river, full of memory…._

There was something about the lullaby or perhaps the sovereign's voice that was lulling the children to sleep. Anna was the first to snore away and Caleb was on the brink, but he wanted to try to hear the whole song. After a few verses, the boy couldn't fight his drooping eyes and the last line he heard was _dive down deep into her sound. But not too far or you'll be drowned._

—

As it is becoming a habit, Caleb was on the rooftop again watching the sun rise above the mountains. There is a feeling of peace that washes over the boy whenever he's on the roof. It was like it was just him and the scenery. No one else… until Elsa appeared and sat closely next to him.

"Morning, Elsa," the soldier greeted.

"Good morning, Caleb," the princess reciprocated. "What are you doing up here?"

"Just thinking," the guard responded vaguely, staring blankly at the view in front of him.

The monarch slightly nudged the corporal, "Thinking about what?"

The boy shook his head, "Something small, it does not matter."

"Caleb… that's not true. I'm here for you. You can tell me anything."

The young swordsman looked at his friend and sighed, "Promise me you won't panic?"

Elsa nodded and with that, Caleb explained, "Your father told me that there might be a war coming for Arendelle because of what happened. He also told me that I might have to fight on the front lines if I am needed."

"And you're scared of fighting real enemies," the ice sorceress completed.

The soldier hummed, "Well not really. That intruder seemed pretty real to me." He turned toward the mountains, "I think I'm scared of losing."

The princess cocked her head, perplexed, "How so?"

"Perhaps getting wounded and not being able to protect you all. The last encounter was cutting it way too close. Caleb growled, "But I honestly can't explain it right now. What I do know is that I don't want a repeat of the last time."

Elsa smoothly placed a hand on the guard's shoulder, which naturally caused the brunette to face the princess.

"Caleb, there is no one else that I would rely on to protect his kingdom. You're the toughest soldier Arendelle has. You will go above and beyond to protect the people that you love." The sovereign's cheeks slightly turned red, "And that is a characteristic that I admire about you."

A wide smile splayed across the corporal's face, 'Thank you, Elsa. I'm glad you think so. And I think those were the words that I needed to hear, so thanks again."

A moment of silence fell between the pair, a silent understanding of one another. For a split second they were both staring in each other's eyes and before things could become awkward, Caleb stood up, clearing his throat.

"We should probably head inside. Anna might want to play."

"You're right," Elsa agreed with reluctance, almost as if she did not want to leave.

Once the duo came back inside, Anna was already waiting for them.

"Caleb! Elsa! Let's go for a walk," the younger princess exclaimed with excitement.

"Another one?" The guard asked, surprised at the girl's energy.

The redhead tugged at Caleb's arm pleadingly, "Come on. There's nothing else to do in the castle, so there has to be something outside."

Whether he wanted to or not, Anna was gonna find some way to force the older kids to go on the walk.

"Okay. Let's go."

The redhead pumped a fist up and jumped in the air, "Yes!"

"Don't forget your coats, your majesties. It is quite cold outside," Kai called out, bringing them over.

While the princesses were putting on their coats, the servant looked at the soldier, "Are you sure that tunic is all right, Master Caleb?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, Kai. Thank you."

Once everyone was dressed for the weather, Anna got her request and the trio walked out of the castle.

—

"Anna, look at this," Caleb called out.

Once the princess was paying attention, the corporal released a hot breath into the cold air, condensing into fog. As the concept was very cool to the five year old, she began to test it out for herself. Every time she saw her breath of fog, she squealed with joy. It was safe to say that the girl was distracted for the moment.

"Winter can be so beautiful," the soldier remarked as he saw the thin layer of snow on the ground.

"I assume that winter is your favorite season?" Elsa asked for confirmation.

The guard hummed, thinking about his answer. Then, a stray snowflake fell from the sky, trickling down until Elsa was in the boy's view, making him smile coyly, "It's starting to be."

The ice conjurer giggled and proceeded to manifest a snowball to perform her signature move. Once the snowball reached its peak, she threw it into the air as tiny ice particles drizzled downwards like an artificial snowfall.

"Show off," Caleb muttered playfully.

Now with another circumstance to be distracted with, Anna began to stick out her tongue to "catch" the falling snowflakes. The antics of the younger princess caused the older kids to laugh and they joined in. Catching snow with your tongue is fun and all, but it seemed that it was going on for too long as Elsa's magic only lasts for so long. Eventually, the soldier paused on his snow catching and looked up at the sky to see that there was actual snow falling.

Caleb threw his arms out and kneeled as if he was in heaven, "It does not get better than this."

The swordsman revelled the weather and was at peace until something cold and brittle hit his chest. It took a moment to register what had happened, but the corporal quickly figured out that it was Anna trying to initiate a snowball fight. The princess had another snowball ready to fire and she was about to throw it at the boy as seen through her smug smile.

The brunette boy laughed somewhat wickedly, "Oh. You're going down, Anna." With the remnants of snow around him, Caleb made an arsenal of small, but usable snowballs to defend himself. With his projectile in hand, the soldier had his target locked and was about to release it until a snowball hit his back, and it was not Anna who threw it. The targeted boy already knew who it was and he turned around to feign disappointment.

"I thought you were my ally."

"Last time I checked, we did not sign a pact," Elsa quipped smugly.

"Let the war begin!" Anna yelled in a battle cry fashion.

Both girls opted for the offensive approach, throwing their snowballs at whomever was easy to hit. The corporal took a defensive approach and took cover from a nearby tree, then shot his snowballs there. Because the younger princess is a little impulsive, her stockpile of snowballs ran out and she needed to make more, which left her exposed to the other kids. Elsa, on the other hand, was having no trouble at all as she was able to conjure up snowballs to her will. Soon, Caleb was running low on ammunition and he was too far from a snow pile to make more, so with his remaining supply, he ran toward the center of the field to "die" with honor. However, no snowballs were thrown at him as both princesses were preoccupied with something else. When the guard finally looked at what the girls were looking at, then he understood why there were no snowballs thrown. The wind picked up and the snowfall started to increase exponentially, soon the citizens of Arendelle were locking themselves into their home. The soldier quickly pulled the princesses in the direction of the castle, which was fortunately a few yards away. Once the trio was inside the castle walls, the gates quickly closed and anyone who was in the courtyard went inside. Almost immediately, King Agnarr spotted the children and hugged them.

"Thank goodness you all made it back. A blizzard might be afoot, so you all stay inside and I have to talk to the others."

Once the king walked away, the boy tried to contain his laughter, but he could not hold it and the young sovereigns gave him confused looks.

Once his laughter stopped, Caleb thought he ought to explain himself, "Is it me or does it seem that our scene from Enchanted Forest has come alive?"

Anna gasped, "Speaking of Enchanted Forest, we should play since we are stuck inside."

There was no answer from either individual and the redhead shrugged her shoulders, going toward their room, probably waiting for the others whether they wanted to play or not.

"Guess we gotta go play," the swordsman said, face conveying that he did not want to and with one look at Elsa, she felt the same way.

"It's all coming true huh?"

—

"Sir Shaw slides his sword through the minotaur, saving Lady Ringwall once again!" Anna narrated. As if it was a surprise, the younger princess brought the two figurines into a kiss, "And then they get married!"

Elsa was about to question her sister's logic as the two people were already married, but she _let it go_ because she was bored of playing Enchanted Forest. Outside the window, there were still high winds and heavy snowfall, so much that you could see two feet away from the glass. Suddenly, a booming sound could be heard in the distance as if someone was firing a cannon. Dropping everything, Caleb immediately ran down to the ballroom to meet with the king. The princesses followed after him asking the boy what was happening, but all he said was 'war'. Once the boy entered the ballroom, him and the king made eye contact. With a frown, King Agnarr gave him a nod, signaling that it was the rival nation on Arendelle grounds. The soldier walked over to the monarch and luckily right next to him was General Tyler.

"What's the plan of attack, your majesty?" The general asked.

"The blizzard must have slowed down for them to be able to trek their way here. I say that you assemble some of your men to defend the outer walls of the citadel. I also want a line of soldiers inside here as well, just in case they break in here," the sovereign schemed.

The superior soldier saluted to dismiss himself and the king faced the young corporal.

"Caleb, you are a part of the interior battalion, but you protect my daughters at all cost."

"Yes, your majesty," the boy saluted.

The monarch put a finger up as he wasn't quite done, "Oh, before I forget, my wife wanted me to give you this."

In the king's hand was a small battle horn, portable enough to latch onto the soldier's belt. "Only use it in dire emergencies were her instructions. If you need to use it, just blow in it like any other battle horn," King Agnarr explained.

"It's a pretty neat thing," Caleb commented, looking at every angle of the horn.

The boy's curiosity made the sovereign smile, "It sure is. Now, I want you and my daughters to go to the east wing. If any enemies come your way, you know what to do."

With their marching orders, the trio headed toward the wing. Through the windows of the hall, the children could see the fighting. The noise of clanging swords and cannons booming echoed in three second intervals. From their view, there was no indication of which side was winning the battle. Another loud boom was emitted from a cannon and the cannonball was headed straight for the wing that the trio was in. Caleb immediately dove for the princesses.

"Get down!"

The window panes shattered as the cannonball made contact with the castle wall and any piece of glass had landed on the soldier's back.

"Are you both okay?" the boy asked while getting up.

Both girls gave an affirmative nod and the floor shook once again as another cannonball must have made contact on the citadel. As if there wasn't enough commotion already, there were rustling footsteps that were approaching the east wing. Preparing for anything, the corporal's sword was already drawn. Fortunately, it was a squadron of Arendellian soldiers checking on the young trio's status. Caleb made direct eye contact with the captain of the squad, signaling that everyone was fine. Everyone lowered their guard and as they were about to approach the children, the captain got knocked out by a rock-like projectile. The other soldiers quickly put up their defenses and they soon became engaged with an enemy squad brandishing an eagle crest. Because the Arendellian soldiers were caught off guard, the enemy battalion had the upper hand. And they continued to have the upper hand as there were more "Eagle" soldiers than Arendellian. To no surprise, the Arendellian infantry had lost that skirmish and now what was left of the opposing cavalry were now closing in toward the children. The lone swordsman was now gripping his weapon rather tight and backed up, only to find themselves at a dead end. Caleb quickly counted the enemies in the hall, which added up to four. The men kept walking toward the trio, leaving all the children scared for their lives. It was inconceivable to get out of this situation until the guardsman remembered what was given to him. Without a moment to lose, the corporal grabbed the battle horn and blew into it as he was instructed. Instead of a loud distress signal, a tiny blue salamander was emitted.

"What?" the boy uttered fearfully.

The enemy soldiers began to laugh at the sad attempt to call for backup and began to mockfully coo at the amphibian. Suddenly, the salamander set itself on fire and scorched the enemy soldiers, now giving Caleb the upper hand. By his sword, the young corporal knocked off three enemies while the salamander practically burned the rest. However, the hallway began to catch fire as the amphibian continued to remain ablaze. The trio knew that they needed to put out the fire as they could pass out from all the smoke.

"Elsa! Put out the fires!" the corporal directed.

Ice was emitted out of the princess's hands, extinguishing the fires. It worked like a charm, but the salamander was still setting more fires. Instead of targeting the fires, Elsa aimed her powers at the fiery amphibian. The slithering beast made its way onto Caleb's sword and ice pulsed out of Elsa's hand, streaking toward the salamander as well as pushing back the young soldier. The boy closed his eyes due to the force of the ice beam, but kept his sword steady. Once the firestarter was knowingly extinguished, Elsa stopped her powers and the swordsman slowly opened his eyes to see the salamander in its docile state. Once it was all over, Anna approached the animal with a curious eye.

"What is he?"

"Looks like a reptile. Perhaps a lizard?" Elsa theorized.

"His name is Bruni. And he's a salamander. A unique one actually," a familiar voice explained.

The trio looked up from Bruni to see Queen Iduna standing at the junction of the hallway.

"As in, he can turn himself on fire "unique"?" Caleb chuckled mildly.

The queen giggled softly, "Sure." The monarch looked around and cleared her throat, "Are you all okay? It seems like a tough battle had been fought."

Anna brushed off her shoulder coolly, "We are all fine, Momma."

"Well then. Let's go back to the main hall. The war is waning and I think it's safe to head back."

As the group was heading back, the thought of Bruni being inside the blow horn was rattling the corporal's mind. And then there's the fact that the queen had given it to the soldier.

The boy cleared his throat, "Queen Iduna. If I may ask…."

The gracious sovereign stopped to listen and now all eyes were on Caleb.

"What exactly was Bruni doing inside the blow horn that you gave me?" The curious swordsman asked.

The motherly figure gave a sly smile, "Alas, only Atohallan knows."

—

The night sky soon dawned over Arendelle and the stars illuminated the rubble that was left behind from the battle. The Arendellian forces were successful in fending off the opposing kingdom and there were rumors that the "Eagles" were going to return. Aside from the battle, Bruni had to be released back to the forest, where he may or may not be setting fires. Staying up as usual were the two older kids staring at the moon that ominously hung in the starry sky.

"We gotta see Atohallan when we get older," Caleb declared out of the blue.

Elsa giggled, "What brought this on?"

The boy sighed happily, "I don't know. Maybe it's what your mom said about Bruni. And how 'only Atohallan knows' how he got into that blow horn. I mean it must be a legend or something."

"What are you guys talking about?" a voice rang out.

Both heads turned to see Anna's head poking out of the trap door. The girl shook her head, telling the older kids to disregard her first question.

"Do you wanna build a snowman?" the redhead asked innocently.

Elsa got up as if she was heading in, "We should be getting to bed."

The younger sister tugged at her sister, "Come on, Elsa. The sky's awake, so it's time to play!"

The ice princess scoffed, "You always want to play, Anna."

"It can't hurt to play a little bit," Caleb interjected.

The platinum blonde smiled slightly and visibly relaxed, "I guess building a snowman doesn't sound too bad."

The trio went into the ballroom as it was the tidiest room in the castle and Elsa immediately threw her signature snowball in the air, providing the winter wonderland ambience. The floor also became an ice rink for the children to slide on and they spent the beginning moments "skating" as they waited for the snow to pile up. In a matter of minutes the powder was high enough for the children to build their snowmen. With a few swift gestures, Elsa had already made a standard snowman. Anna stuck a carrot and pebbles to personify the tower of snow.

The younger princess gasped excitedly, "We should build a snowman that reaches the ceiling."

The ice princess matched her sister's enthusiasm, "You're right. Olaf does need a friend."

"I'll get started with the bottom ball," Caleb informed.

The ice conjurer continued to manifest snow while the younger princess went to fetch the materials for the snowman's face. Once Anna came back with the necessary items, she aided in building the body of the snowman. The soldier finished one ball of snow and placed it on the existing tower of snowballs. After him, the redhead also got done with another ball of snow. The building continued like clockwork and there were some close calls where the snowman almost fell, but Elsa managed to save it. The structure of the snowman was completed and next was the accessories. Caleb was responsible for putting pebbles on the snowballs he could reach and Elsa finished it off as she had the powers to reach the higher spots. Because she wanted to, Anna climbed the snowman to place the eyes and carrot nose.

"Perfect!" The younger princess exclaimed, pumping fists in the air.

Because she was so high up and the lanky snowman was a tad unstable, the redhead's caused Olaf's friend to lean. Then, the snowman's momentum began falling down toward the floor alongside the young princess. Anna held on tightly to the snowman even as it was falling, which caused the guardsman to run for the girl in an attempt to catch her. However, the boy lost his footing on the slippery ice floor, leaving him unable to recover in time to possibly catch the princess. The snowballs were about to dismantle itself when Anna spontaneously jumped off to save herself.

"Anna!" Elsa cried out as she uncontrollably released an ice blast to "catch" her sister.

The blast struck the young princess's head, knocking her out cold as she landed on a pile of snow.

"Oh my god," Caleb uttered as he finally got back on his feet.

The soldier met up with Elsa, who immediately held her younger sister in her arms. The room suddenly dropped in temperature, which caused the boy to shiver. The ice princess called out for her parents and kept hugging her sister tightly, repeating "you are okay". The doors slammed open as the reigning monarchs urgently went over to the distraught children. The guardsman was about to apologize, but King Agnarr placed a hand up as it was not the right time. Queen Iduna took Anna from Elsa's grasp and shivered at the princess's touch. She looked at the king, who gave a knowing look.

"There's a place where she can be cured," the monarch informed while going over to a bookshelf. He grabbed a book and showed a page to his wife. Looks of hesitation were given, but eventually they subsided as they soon agreed to go. The corporal was able to catch a glimpse of a map that was located on the page and a realization hit him.

"I actually know where that place is," he broadcasted.

With the destination in mind, everyone partnered up to mount on their horses, except for Caleb, who rode alone as he was the leader of the pack. The path to the prairie was all too familiar to the soldier as he did not expect to be back so soon. Once the group made it to the glade, it was inhabited with rocks as usual, which left the sovereigns confused. Because he lived with them, the guardsman was able to see through their facade.

"Bulda! Kristoff! Grand Pabbie?" the boy called out.

Like the other times, the rocks turned over to reveal themselves as trolls to almost everyone's surprise. Kristoff and Sven also appeared to greet their brother.. They all gave the soldier a hug as if it was his homecoming, but the boy pulled away before they could both get attached.

"We need Grand Pabbie's help," Caleb notified, looking at the company he brought.

Without any further word, the elder rolled in front of the royal family. The boys stayed off to the side to let the leaders talk.

"So, what happened?" Kristoff inquired, trying to ease the tense situation.

The guardsman shrugged, "I'm still trying to figure it out myself. One minute we were playing with snow. The other, we are galloping away to the prairie."

"Wow. Are you okay?"

Caleb tried to force a smile, "I will be, once Anna is okay."

One of Grand Pabbie's visions or rather demonstrations appeared as it seemed that he was erasing a memory. With a swirl of his hands, the magic curled up into a ball and the elder placed it onto the sleeping princess's head. A sigh of relief was taken as Grand Pabbie announced that Anna was going to be alright, but Elsa was concerned about something else.

"So, she won't remember that I have powers?"

A sympathetic smile was present on the troll's face and once again, a vision was being shown.

"Your powers will only grow. There is beauty in it, but also a great danger. You must learn to control it. Fear will be your enemy." Then, a red burst of ice concluded the vision, intimidating everyone that saw it.

"Everything will be fine," King Agnarr said gruffly. "We will close the gates, reduce the castle staff, and limit Elsa's contact with people. Until she can control her powers."

No one objected as it was practically a royal decree. The Arendellians mounted their horses to take their leave, but not before Grand Pabbie had a word with the boy.

"Caleb, if I may ask you of something."

The boy nodded as he listened carefully. "This situation has really shaken up the princess and now she has strict restrictions imposed upon her. I am sure that she will need a friend during this tough time."

"Of course. I will be there for her," the corporal affirmed.

—

The next morning brought drastic changes as one bed was missing from the children's room and there were significantly less people strutting down the halls. Thankfully, Kai and Gerda were among the staff that was allowed to stay. Of course, the change mostly affected Elsa, who had to move into a new room by her lonesome as well as see her kingdom be closed off from the view of her bedroom window. Although there were many changes, the one thing that did not was Caleb's rooftop rendezvous…

At first, there was nothing said between the two children as the memories of the night before were still fresh in their heads. Because the princess had relocated rooms, the new rooftop spot was right above her balcony. The boy sat on the edge, swinging his legs, finding the right words to say or perhaps waiting for Elsa to say anything.

"Are you okay? Last night was rough," the soldier finally commented, breaking the silence.

An exasperated sigh escaped from the girl's lips, "I… am not okay." Knowing the next question, she continued to explain, "I'm scared. Scared of hurting anybody else. And I bet you're scared of me because of what happened. And I'm probably more scared of losing the people that I love because of my powers or rather the fear of them."

"Elsa, I have never been scared of you nor am I now. It was an accident. I know that you were trying to save Anna. I'm pretty sure everyone knows that," Caleb reassured.

"Then why am I alone in this room?" the princess snapped.

"You may be alone in that room, but you're not alone out here. Everyone in this castle cares about you. Your parents have your best interests in mind and they believe that this will help you."

"And what do you believe?" Elsa asked, her tone softening.

Caleb took a breath, "I believe that you will grow from this. I believe that you won't be locked in that room forever. One day, you will be comfortable with your powers as you were the first time that we met."

Silence followed after the corporal's words as if the enchantress was processing his response.

"Thank you, Caleb. For being here."

**(A/N): Well then…. What will happen next? Ha, anyways, we hope that you all are staying safe and healthy amid this quarantine/ coronavirus. But now it's not just the virus that is the issue, it is also the matter of Black Lives and police brutality. We strongly believe that everyone, no matter what race, color, or sexual orientation you are, deserves equal rights. And now, there is the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which deserves our attention as well. What can we do to help? We need to spread awareness of these issues and donate if we can. If you lack knowledge on these issues, then educate yourself and take the necessary actions to bring light to the issues. All lives can't matter until Black Lives do. As always, thanks for reading and we will be back with Ch. 5 soon.**


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